The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent is a little bit of a misnomer and, rather than any Bond-style espionage, you are thrust into the sights and sounds of Brazil under authoritarian rule in the 1970’s.

A place where anyone could be seen to be an enemy of the government, many in positions of power are corrupt and everyone is constantly watching their back.

Much like last year’s true story I’m Still Here, The Secret Agent is a deeply immersive tale of a dark time in history but this film tells a fictional tale, albeit one rooted in the realities of the era.

The production value, the feeling, the tone and the camerawork are a marvel.

The sense of place, the sense of time, the detailing and the texture of the film are a thing to behold.

It’s an incredible piece of filmmaking to make this just ‘feel’ like the 70’s in every conceivable way.

However, unlike I’m Still Here, the story here is a little more scattered and less cohesive.

This does not hold your hand at all and, instead, just allows you to experience the life of Wagner Moura’s Marcelo/Armando as he goes into hiding in Recife.

Details surrounding his background and family are drip-fed and have to be read into somewhat and, even across a hefty near-three-hour runtime, things don’t have a coherent ‘beginning’ and ‘ending.’

In a way, that only goes to serve the messaging that this time was filled with people whose records and stories are incomplete.

The framing device of students studying and trying to find out more about the film’s events fits this well.

However, it does leave just a few too many questions unanswered and doesn’t quite resolve satisfactorily story-wise.

The style and the messaging are immaculate and it is a truly immersive experience. Just being in this time period, in this way, is fascinating. Likewise, some of the sequences here are of absolutely world-class quality.

A great counterpart to the aforementioned I'm Still Here and a filmmaking marvel. But a story perhaps missing too much for all tastes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️