A Mysterious Brazilian Tale
Screened at the Virginia Film Festival, The Secret Agent presents a backdrop of an oppressive dictatorship in late 1970s Brazil. The film is led by beautiful scenery that works well amidst heavy and inconspicuous subject matter. Wagner Moura delivers an outstanding performance as a complex character who is reconnecting with his family and coming to terms with his past, while fleeing his former adversaries.
Beauty and Chaos
Set during the final years of Brazil’s militaristic dictatorship in 1977, The Secret Agent poses as a Brazilian political thriller. The film tells the story of Marcelo, a research technologist in his early 40s, who returns to his hometown of Recife from São Paulo to reunite with his son, all taking place during the week of Carnival. Due to his past, Marcelo becomes highly sensitive to the fact that he has eyes all over him due to past criminal activities, and while he is haunted by his past, he is trapped in a box of political injustices that span from authoritarian leadership. The film closes in on itself as it is told in different stages, which unlock facets of Marcello’s life. These moments are grotesque and manipulative to the audience, just as the Brazilian regime is corrupt. Mendonça Filho’s direction and understanding of Brazil and the state of oppression is sought through memory as he wanted to tell this story through the lens of those who maneuver through this system and how they survived through submission and pushback. The film setting allows Mendonça Filho to uncover the unspeakable truths that the Brazilian dictatorship had and the many undocumented stories that were eradicated or not spoken about online.
Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent works as an interesting love letter to Brazil during one of its most tumultuous eras. The film starts slowly, and then though it moves forward, it keeps a pretty slow pace. It’s not until later in the film that the film picks up pace. Pacing is this film’s biggest issue since there is so much going on, and it’s not highlighted until about 30 to 40 minutes or more into the film. This is disappointing because the film has so much substance that feels squandered at times, but the beautiful scenery saves it. Another thing that is beautifully intricate about this film is its mystique around Wagner Moura’s Marcello. Wagner Moura’s performance travels way beyond what the narrative offers and makes the role his own, even when it requires a different beat. Though there are pacing issues, the film is masterfully crafted and beautifully depicts Brazil, aside from the unruly dictatorship that erased the history of many.
Mysterious Performances
Wagner Moura’s performance in The Secret Agent is enigmatic and the best possible. It doesn’t matter how much you think you know about his character; you don’t know much. He is a man of mystique, and there is so much about him in the film that is explored, but it doesn’t stick because there are vestiges of his past that always come up, and even those moments make it harder to piece together who he is at his core. The little things that are known about him are that he is doing everything he can to be an amazing father. That is the only thing that is set in stone about Moura’s character is that he wants to be with his son, though it is not possible in the way that he wants it to be. This is one of the intricate moments that spans from the beginning to the end, especially because it ties together moments that get into the fiber of who Moura was long before he is met, as in the beginning of The Secret Agent. Moura’s performance is vast and layered, as it is charismatic, dark, and bleak at times. Though there are questions in regard to Moura’s character, there are moments of subtlety that he resides in due to the fact that he is trying to remain unfamiliar. Though he is a modest enigma, the community in which he can build is beautifully displayed.
The sense of community that is showcased adds another level of endearment to Moura’s narrative, even though he’s not able to fully step into that role because of the fear of his past.
Director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s love for Brazil is encompassed throughout the film. It is one of the film’s greatest achievements, which seems to be inherent amongst Brazilian filmmakers. While this is endearing, beautiful, and unique to the film’s narrative, it leaves ambiguity that should not be there. The film is a mystery and a thriller at the same time, and that sometimes gets lost within the storytelling, through the lens of how kind the story period is. What could also be said is that the blending of kindness within the Brazilian landscape is meant to trick the audience. While that remains questionable, the community that Filho offers Brazilians in this film is beautiful. While, at times, it may not be real, or it may have a level of suspicion too, it is beautiful to see in this time in Brazilian history. Another thing that is unfortunate, which hurts Mendonça Filho’s direction, is that the second act of the film is long. The film is nearly three hours long, and while it’s justified, nearly three hours is too self-indulgent, and 25 to 30 minutes of this film could have easily been cut. With that said, Mendonça Filho is still in tune with what he’s trying to convey in his direction; he wants to show that there is good amidst the chaos during this dictatorship. While Mendonça Filho’s direction is a bit long-winded, the film has a big heart, and there is justification that is worthy of its motives.
Happiness Amongst the Dark
One of the brightest spots within The Secret Agent is the vibrant cinematography. Evgenia Alexandrova offers a brilliant, well-palletized score that showcases how beautiful Brazil truly is in spite of the system of oppression that is hurting the citizens. The way that Alexandrova showcases the Brazilian people in lockstep with the cinematography is wonderfully documented and works well throughout the film, even in the darkest moments. Aside from Alexandrova’s electric cinematography is the film’s score, which is Carnival-centric. The music is festive throughout, but once the film gets to grittier moments, it kicks into high gear and becomes more taxing, giving its audience no room to breathe. The darker moments that the score inhabits make it easy to pinpoint when the festive score has taken a back seat as something big is about to take place. Through the technical aspects, The Secret Agent delivers a catchy Brazilian score alongside an even greater multidimensional Brazilian framework.
The atmosphere is trying to convey something totally different than what was expected from the film. The film’s cinematography is colorful and happy when it showcases the culture of the Brazilians. In totality, this movie is not a happy type of film, and what underlines it is even darker than what is detailed. This switch-up is intriguing, but it also lends itself to the undying admiration that Mendonça Filho has for the Brazilians because it feels as though, aside from the dictatorship, which has plagued the country, there is happiness and peace amongst the people. It could be said that Mendonça Filho wanted to showcase happiness within the cinematography since there isn’t much of that throughout the film, outside of the comedic prowess. Overall, the vibrant cinematography is definitely a beautiful shake-up, aside from tones that loom and progress as the film moves forward.
A Brazilian Farewell
The Secret Agent is a unique love letter to Brazil while also encompassing its darkest moments in history. Mendonça Filho’s direction is long-winded but is distinct in the exploration of contorted storytelling. Mendonça Filho’s initiative to capture the oppressive dictating system that affected Brazilians is innate and beautifully showcased, as it was an injustice that many have yet to recover from. Wagner Moura gives an amazing, puzzling performance that will keep you on your toes and wanting to know more than what is teased.
Watch The Secret Agent in select theaters on December 5!
The Secret Agent (2025) Official Neon Trailer
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Author
Elke Simmons' writing portfolio includes contributions to The Laredo Morning Times, Walt Disney World Eyes and Ears, Extinction Rebellion (XR) News/Blog, and Dead Talk News.