Joga Bonito
The Secret Agent is one of the best movies of the year.
Okay. So here was my last Thursday.
I worked my 9-5, as one does, and then went to the gym, where I ran on the treadmill for a bit before taking a pilates class with my sister. Also, just so you know, it was Pilates Fusion, which means no reformers, because I didn’t want to die. When that ended, I took a shower (you’re welcome, America) and then I ran to the Q train. It then took a light jog, featuring a quick stop at a bodega for some semblance of dinner, to get to the Upper West Side Walter Reade Theater in time for an evening screening of The Secret Agent.
I made it with five minutes to spare, and thankfully (even though it was a bit anxiety-inducing in this specific situation) Film at Lincoln Center doesn’t really have any trailers, so there was no 25-30 minute AMC-esque buffer time to make things easier.
I settled in right before the movie started with a lukewarm chicken sandwich, ready for whatever movie magic Brazil offered to deliver. And thankfully, for my troubles, the country came through.
The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, is a godsend and simply put one of the best movies I’ve watched this year. A historical political drama, this nearly three-hour thriller centers on Armando, played masterfully by Wagner Moura, a former professor caught in a maelstrom of chaos after resisting an authoritarian regime in 1970s Brazil.
There are wannabe assassins, a human leg found within a shark and plenty of inebriated carnival patrons, but Moura’s able to ground what could be a mess of a story into a personal account of a man trying to escape a corrupt country with his son.
This is coming hot on the heels of I’m Still Here, another Brazilian film centered on political corruption that went on to win Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Academy Awards. I respected that movie more than I liked it. And the widespread acclaim for that one will hopefully continue for The Secret Agent.
Knowing very little going in, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the title is kind of a joke or at least a mislead. Moura’s Armando/Marcelo is far from a Jason Bourne type. Instead, he’s just a composed but terrified father trying to accomplish one last task before he disappears. It took me a second to understand that this wasn’t going to be Mission: Impossible, but something slower with a high degree of dread.
Quick Tangent: It’s funny that people complain about runtimes for movies because this felt like a breeze to sit through, despite the painful story and nerve-racking plot. You watch something like this, and you’re ready for more. And then there are 95-minute movies out there that feel like lifetimes.
Anyway, this is all to say that I’m working on my year-end ranking, and The Secret Agent is a lock to be in the top ten. Probably higher than that, to be honest. If you can see it in theaters, try to find a chance to check it out. If not, I’m sure it’ll be streaming sometime soon in your neck of the woods.
Brazil, you’ve done it again. And Wagner Moura, I’ll see you at the Oscars.