The Secret Agent (2026) Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho

Kleber Mendonça Filho transports viewers into a tropical thriller in “The Secret Agent,” using expressionistic cinematography and satire to paint a picture of the corrupt political landscape of its time.

Set in 1977, the story follows our lead protagonist Marcelo (Wagner Moura) who has fled to the city of Recife in Pernambuco, Brazil. It is unclear as to who the man is and why he has fled to Recife until later in the film, when Marcelo’s identity is slowly unveiled in a surreal and non-linear sequence of events.

The opening scene captures the viewers’ attention immediately, as it sets the tone for the rest of the film. We see Marcelo arriving on the outskirts of Recife in a yellow Volkswagen Beetle on a sunny day. Soft music is playing from the speaker of the car as Marcelo pulls into an isolated petrol station where a corpse lay partially covered by cardboard just ahead. The petrol station employee casually explains to Marcelo that the man had arrived on Sunday to steal cans of petrol and was shot by the night shift employee. He then explains that it was now Tuesday, and the police had not come.

As if on cue, officers arrive at the petrol station, but instead of batting an eye at the body, they seem more interested in Marcelo’s car, scanning thoroughly for any fault that they could potentially fine him for. When they find nothing of note, they solicit Marcelo for a donation to “Policeman’s Carnival Fund,” to which Marcelo gives them his pack of cigarettes instead.

Right from the start, the film establishes the themes of violence, death, and corruption that will persist throughout, while simultaneously using colourful visual aesthetics and a deceptively peaceful atmosphere to catch the viewer off guard and hold their interest.

Throughout the rest of the film, we discover that Marcelo is actually Armando – a widower and professor of engineering - who has made himself an enemy of the state by ruffling the feathers of Ghirotti (Luciano Chirolli), a bigoted businessman who had intended to shut down Armando’s department at the university and use their research for his own corrupt purposes.

In an act of aggression, Ghirotti hires two grotesque hitmen, Bobbi (Gabriel Leone) and Augusto (Roney Villela), to eliminate Armando. The two hitmen sub-contract a local man, Vilmar (Kaiony Venâncio), to do the job for a lesser fee. In the meantime, Armando has been hiding out in a safehouse in Recife with a kind but hardened woman, Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria), and yearns for nothing more than to escape with his young son who has been living in the care of the parents of Armando’s late wife.

There is an underlying chaos in the midst of this, with carnival at its peak throughout Recife, and the new release of the movie Jaws having everyone in a shark-crazed frenzy. This is only heightened after the leg of a corpse was found inside the stomach of a shark. Local greasy cop-villain Euclides Cavalcanti (Robério Diógenes) is particularly disturbed by this, as the victim is likely someone he had thrown into the sea in his attempt to have at least 100 deaths or disappearances at Carnival.

While praised for its political commentary, “The Secret Agent” doesn’t give any false hope or promises about overcoming the political corruption present at that time. It uses satire and drama to normalize the violence happening throughout the narrative - perhaps as a statement on how normalized corruption and violence has become in Brazilian society - but doesn’t paint any sort of solution or redemption for our protagonist.

There’s one particular scene when the neighbours that are all staying with Dona Sebastiana are having a get-together and Marcelo reveals himself as Armando. Some of the others share that they have been operating under fake names as well. It’s a very touching scene that ties in themes of community and hope for the future of Brazil, however the ending alludes to the idea that these dreams might not have come to fruition.

The lack of a “happy ending” per se is almost refreshing, as it maintains a level of realism about the world rather than attempting to be a feel-good piece. The true ‘thriller’ aspect may just be how real the themes are to Brazilian society at that time, despite being conveyed in a surrealist format.

The non-linear plot can almost feel confusing at times, and with a runtime of 2 hours and 40 minutes, audiences may feel exhausted by the slow-burn narrative. However, if you’re willing to sit through it, you’ll find yourself fascinated by the world that Kleber Mendonca Filho has created and the story he tells.

★★★★

4 / 5

Angelique Ritter

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