This 98%-Rated Best Picture Contender Is the Awards Season's Most Frustratingly Overlooked Treasure

Every year, several Oscar-nominated films become the subject of widespread conversation, while a few others, despite receiving rave reviews from critics, remain largely overlooked.

This year, Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent is a movie rarely discussed outside the festival circuit.

This complex, masterfully edited thriller about Brazil during the military dictatorship is simultaneously terrifying, funny, and awe-inspiring for its directorial audacity.

What Is 'The Secret Agent' About?

It's 1977, and Brazil is under the control of a military dictatorship. Armando, a former university professor, arrives in Recife, his hometown, to be with his son and father-in-law. He moves into the home of a lively elderly woman, gets a job at an identity bureau, and uses a false name.

Strange things are happening all around: a shark is caught in the sea with a human leg in its mouth, suspicious characters roam the city, and the police behave like an occupying army.

Gradually, it emerges that Armando is a scientist who has patented a new type of lithium battery and a local crime boss with ties to the state wants to seize his patent.

On the Surface, 'The Secret Agent' Is a Political Thriller, but It Juggles Many Genres

Filho wouldn't be true to himself if he confined to a simple political drama – The Secret Agent is a complex novel that intertwines dozens of plot lines, timelines, and genre registers.

For the first hour, viewers are at a loss to understand the connection between a shark with a leg, two hitmen from São Paulo, and a scientist using an alias. Gradually, however, the puzzle comes together, and admiration for the director's work only grows.

Filho utilizes every available medium: important events are glimpsed in scans of old newspapers, Armando learns about the shark on the radio, and scenes from The Omen unfold on television and in theaters.

The Secret Agent effortlessly transitions from a paranoid thriller to an absurdist comedy and from a family drama to a road movie, while remaining cohesive and tense.

'The Secret Agent' Is a True Feast for Cinephiles

Kleber Mendonça Filho is an avid film buff, and The Secret Agent is filled with references that true cinephiles will appreciate.

The title alludes to Hitchcock's 1936 thriller of the same name. At home, Armando watches Le Magnifique, starring Belmondo, on TV – a movie about a fictional spy whose life under an assumed name rhymes perfectly with his own.

The shark with a leg is a direct reference to Spielberg's Jaws, which the main character's son dreams of seeing. Filho transforms the personal story into a symbol of a terrifying time while reminding us that cinema is not only entertainment, but also a means of understanding reality.

The Secret Agent is the best film of Filho's career thus far, and it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The Secret Agent'?

• The Secret Agent has 98% from critics and 83% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.3/10.

• On Letterboxd, The Secret Agent scored 3.8/5.0.

Where to Watch 'The Secret Agent'?

The Secret Agent is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.