Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, the crime film “The Secret Agent” captures Marcelo, played by Wagner Moura, a common citizen who was once a technology professor and is now on the run from his past. The film is set in Brazil in 1977, when the country was overrun by a military dictatorship. The characters are confronted with death, destruction, and terror.
Marcelo, whose real name is Armando Solimões, had previously lost his wife. His wife’s parents took in their son and raised him in Recife, a city in northern Brazil. Marcelo is determined to take his son and flee the country. However, he must remain undercover and hide from his enemies, who are out to kill him. In order to find a safe haven, Marcelo joins forces with Dona Sebastiana, an old lady who has built a sanctuary for people in trouble. He meets other individuals who are in hiding, forming new connections during a time of uncertainty.
There are underground agents who assist Marcelo in escaping and resisting the oppressive regime in Brazil. They arrange for him to work in an identification card office while they search for information regarding the threats against him. On his first day of “work,” Marcelo meets the deceiving chief of police, Euclides. Right away, Euclides takes a liking to Marcelo and compliments him. Marcelo believes Euclides to be an awful man, but he remains unsuspecting of him until the end.
As Marcelo continues work at the identification office, Euclides is secretly working alongside the enemies and plotting the death of Marcelo. Anyone with power or working for the government is untrustworthy and will kill those who act against them.
A unique element of this film is the reference to Steven Spielberg’s 1975 horror film “Jaws.” For those unfamiliar with this film, it’s about a man-eating great white shark that terrorizes beach folk. Near the beginning of “The Secret Agent,” viewers witness a dead shark on a table, cut open with its innards sprawled around it. As the camera centers the beast, you can see a pale foot sticking out of the shark’s belly, alluding to “Jaws.”
Marcelo’s son is desperate to see “Jaws” and begs his grandpa to let him see it, even though he’s experienced haunting nightmares about sharks. Like the Spielberg film, audiences sit in suspense as they wait to see if the enemy tracks down Marcelo. In this case, the rampaging shark can be compared to government forces and the rich who wish to kill those who trespass on their waters.
I was amazed by Moura’s impactful performance; he left me wanting to know more about his character’s story. Moura is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, and the film for Best Picture. The film has earned two additional Oscar nominations and received Cannes Film Festival award nominations for Best Actor and Best Director. I believe this film is a strong contender; I give it four out of five Big Oles.
