Mocronados (2023)

Abdellah Laâguili (75) from Gouda takes center stage. In 1969 he came to the Netherlands at the age of 21 and started working at the meatprocessing company Compaxo in Gouda. Abdellah's life is characterized by commitment to society, including as a neighborhood father. That is why he was elected Gouda Giant last year at Gouda's 750th anniversary. With Abdellah we look back on his life during those first difficult years in the Netherlands. In the community center where he always comes, he meets his four fellow sufferers, guest workers from the very beginning. Together the Mocronados reminisce, sail through the canals and bake Gouda stroopwafels.

The loving and wise 90-year-old Mohamed Ibn Amar from The Hague is, after a busy life as a baker, now a neighborhood father and volunteer in The Hague's Laakkwartier. He bakes bread with the Mocronados. In addition to hard work, Mohamed also shows his romantic side. He takes his wife, whom he loves so much, for a walk on the beach and an exciting surprise awaits her on the Scheveningen Pier. In the community center, the men have taboo-breaking conversations about love.

Life is heavy for lonely Hassan El Mourabit (75) from Ede. As a young boy he lost his parents. The Netherlands was paradise for him, even though he had to work hard. He was never able to find true happiness in life. His life consists of the mosque and the community center. Hassan takes the men to the museum in Ede. Hopefully he will find something from his former employers. The Mocronados also go into the kitchen together and talk about the Dutch language.

The travel-loving Mohamed Amdaouech (77) feels at home everywhere. He passed that and his entrepreneurship on to his children. Mohamed goes bowling with his children and grandchildren. During Ramadan, the family comes together to break the fast. We also see how Mohamed Ibn Amar takes care of his mentally challenged daughter. At the community center, the Mocronados talk about parenting, the challenges they had raising your children in two different cultures.

The traditional Mohamed Aoussar (75) has worked in factories since 1971. Now that he is retired, he fills his days with his hobby: repairing clocks in his man cave. How do the Mocronados spend their old age? Mohamed Ibn Amar invites the men for lunch. That's where the discussion flares up. Do you go to a nursing home if you can no longer care for yourself? When Mohamed Aouassar goes to his former employer, the men hear drastic news about their fellow sufferer Abdellah Laâguili.

The men go to Morocco. Unfortunately without Abdellah Laâguili, because his fragile health does not allow the intensive journey. The gentlemen spend this trip together in a holiday home in the middle of the Rif Mountains, the birthplace of the Mocronados. They show the places where they grew up and where they said goodbye in the 1960s. The reunion evokes memories and emotions. From the Moroccan beach, the men look back on the impact emigration has had on them and what the Netherlands has brought them.