Set in Brazil in 1977, The Secret Agent stars Wagner Moura as Marcelo, a widower and technology researcher who becomes an unwitting target of Brazil’s dictatorship. While visiting the city of Recife for Carnival Week, Marcelo begins working with the underground resistance as he plots his and his son’s escape from the country.
It also cleaned up in festival season. The Secret Agent took home more awards from Cannes than any other film. Director Kleber Mendonça Filo won Best Director, and Moura won Best Actor, a first for a Brazilian performer. It was the culmination of a journey that began with 2012’s Neighboring Sounds. Moura calls his director his “cinematic soulmate.”
The Secret Agent prepares to infiltrate America armed with some of the year’s best reviews. Having played at the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, the film is now Brazil’s submission for Best International Film at the Academy Awards. The movie’s Oscar submission is a long time coming for the director, whose previous releases, Aquarius and Bacurau, were snubbed by the Brazilian submission commission. There are more hurdles to clear, though, for Moura and the Academy. If the film lands Moura an Oscar nomination, he’ll be the sixth Latino man in a century nominated for Best Actor.
Most importantly, The Secret Agent has already received acclaim from the likes of The A.V. Club. Giving the film an A-, critic Natalia Keogan writes that the film is “an elaborate ode to Mendonça’s hometown—as well as the now-defunct movie theaters, and the cultural reverence once commanded by cinema, of the filmmaker’s youth.” Drawing from Brazil’s explosive political history and the excitement of seeing Jaws in 1977, The Secret Agent promises a personalized espionage thriller with vibrant style and humor.
The Secret Agent opens in New York on November 26 and in LA on December 5.
