The Secret Agent is a brooding political thriller by director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Aquarius), who with his latest work brings a tumultuous period in Brazilian history vividly to life. Through multiple interwoven storylines, he portrays a country ensnared in violence, corruption, and vendettas—an unruly 1970s meticulously constructed from personal memories, family histories, and archival material.

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert and widower, is on the run. As the military dictatorship imposes increasingly brutal measures on the population, he arrives in Recife, hoping to reunite with his young son. There, during carnival week, he finds shelter with a group of like-minded people and assumes a false identity. But Marcelo’s situation is more precarious than he realizes: he soon becomes aware that the city is far from the violence-free refuge he is seeking.

Blending styles—suspense, humor, and even a touch of horror—The Secret Agent is not only a gripping cinematic experience, but also a historical document through which the widely acclaimed Mendonça Filho delivers a sharp analysis of both Brazil’s past and present. That The Secret Agent gets under the skin has not gone unnoticed by the international film community: it became the most awarded film at Cannes (Best Director, Best Actor), appeared on numerous “best of” lists, and is still in contention in several Oscar categories, thanks in part to the phenomenal performance of lead actor Wagner Moura.