Set during the Brazilian military dictatorship, The Secret Agent follows Armando (Wagner Moura), a widowed university professor fleeing political persecution. He is sheltered in Recife alongside other refugees – meanwhile, in the same city, his son is being raised by his father-in-law. Elza, the leader of an underground resistance movement, realises that Armando is more compromised than he knows and offers to assist him in fleeing the country.

The Secret Agent (Portuguese: O Agente Secreto) is a historical political thriller film written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. The supporting cast includes Carlos Francisco, Tânia Maria, Robério Diógenes, Gabriel Leone, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Alice Carvalho, and Udo Kier in his final film role.

The film received widespread acclaim and became the Cannes Festival 2025’s most awarded film, winning the Best Actor award for Moura, the Best Director award for Mendonça Filho, the Art House Cinema Award and the FIPRESCI Prize. At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, it became the first Brazilian film nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama, winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Wagner Moura) and Best Foreign Language Film. At the 98th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor for Moura, Best Casting and Best International Feature Film. It won four Grande Otelo Awards (Best Film, Cinematography, Art Direction, and Visual Effects).

A consummate cinephile, Mendonça Filho is the rare director who conceives of cinema politically and as entertainment. Such confident skill, combined with the richness of the narrative and the impressively fluid storytelling, renders the film riveting for all 158 minutes of its running time. One is tempted to call it a masterpiece.  (Sight & Sound)

A movie of character, a showcase for Moura’s complex, sympathetic performance – but also the platform for some thrilling, bravura film-making.  (Peter Bradshaw – The Guardian)