Key Insights:
- Film Context: Political thrillers can be intense, but they are worth exploring regardless of the setting.
- Synopsis Overview: The Secret Agent follows Marcelo, a tech expert on the run in Brazil during carnival week.
- Award Recognition: The film won multiple awards at Cannes, including Best Director and Best Actor.
- Director's Vision: Kleber Mendonça Filho shares insights on the evolution of the film’s title and concept.
Political thrillers can rightfully feel pretty dicey depending on the context and country, but that’s never a reason to stop seeking them out. And based on the acclaim — and latest trailer from Neon — for The Secret Agent, it is one you’ll want to see upon release.
Here is the official synopsis for The Secret Agent: “Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non-violent refuge he seeks.”
The Secret Agent fared incredibly well at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it took home Best Director for Kleber Mendonça Filho, Best Actor for Wagner Moura, the FIRESCI Prize, and the AFCAE Art House Cinema Award, thus making it the most awarded movie of the entire fest. It was also up for the top honor at Cannes, the Palme d’Or, although the prize would go to Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident.
Speaking about part of the evolution of The Secret Agent, director Filho previously said, “A very long time. Initially, I had the title, The Secret Agent, for a different story, which I tried to write but it never worked as a script. I kept the title when I turned to other ideas. It’s really a mix of many different impulses. Partly it was the desire to do some kind of thriller. Partly it was the challenge of going back in time and doing a period piece, which I had never done other than one sequence in Aquarius,” referring to the 2016 movie that also competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
The supporting cast of The Secret Agent includes Carlos Francisco, Tânia Maria, Robério Diógenes, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Gabriel Leone, and more.
The Secret Agent is Brazil’s selection for the Best International Feature Film Oscar; last year’s winner, I’m Still Here, was also from Brazil.
What do you think of the trailer for The Secret Agent? Will you see it in theaters? Let us know in the comments section below.
