Winning prizes at Cannes, the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and beyond, the film certainly has momentum behind it. What’s more, a whole nation is united in cheering for its success.
At Trill, we have already covered ‘The Secret Agent’ extensively. My colleague Kevin Reardon awarded the film high praise, calling it “a bonkers, bewildering and brilliant Brazilian political thriller”.
“‘The Secret Agent’ fully succeeds as both entertainment and a think piece. The script is brilliant, I just haven’t quite figured it out yet. The acting is gripping, and the soundtrack is groovy as hell. It’s a grand time at the movies, and one that will have you scratching your head. In other words – it’s a pretty perfectly imperfect film.”
Kevin stated in his review. (Kevin Reardon/Trill)
Here is the link to Kevin’s full review.
In my own review, I called the film “a genuine spy thriller”, despite Marcelo/Armando (Wagner Moura) not being a secret agent exactly, as the title suggests.
“Stylistically, ‘The Secret Agent’ unfolds more as a chronicle than a traditional narrative. It is at once an accurate representation of the times and a fictional, larger-than-life story. This approach may be off-putting to some, but it is precisely what makes ‘The Secret Agent’ one of the most distinctive films of the year.”
I stated in my review. (Antonio Prado/Trill Mag)
I was also fortunate enough to interview Evgenia Alexandrova, AFC, the director of photography for ‘The Secret Agent’. We had a great chat about her relationship to Brazil, her career, and her work on ‘The Secret Agent’ in collaboration with director Kleber Mendonça Filho.
Truly, the cinematography is one of the film’s highlights. It is authentic to the Recife (the film’s setting) of that era, being grainy and textured without looking or feeling fake.
Amazingly, Brazil has no commercial-grade labs for processing film negatives, so shooting on film was out of the picture. Instead, Alexandrova utilized anamorphic Panavision lenses from the 1970s to achieve the look she and Mendonça Filho sought, while still shooting on digital.
“I think now it (Brazilian cinema) is really blossoming. Now you have more emerging directors, probably because the political situation is getting better in recent years. We see a lot of emerging talents in Cannes and other festivals. So it’s getting more approachable.”
Alexandrova stated to me. (Antonio Prado/Trill Mag)
You can check out the full interview below!
The film’s Oscar hopes
‘The Secret Agent’ is nominated for four categories in this year’s Oscars: “Best Picture”, “Best International Feature Film”, “Best Actor”, and “Best Casting”. This ties the nomination record for a Brazilian production.
The film may not be the favorite in any of the four categories, but that doesn’t mean its Oscar chances are slim; it is, in fact, a strong candidate, especially in the “Best International Feature Film” and “Best Actor” categories.
The film has performed strongly in the awards circuit leading up to the Oscars, winning prizes at Cannes, the Golden Globes, and the Critics’ Choice Awards.
At last year’s Cannes Film Festival, ‘The Secret Agent’ took home both “Best Actor” (Wagner Moura) and “Best Director” (Kleber Mendonça Filho).
Later on, at this year’s Golden Globes, it also won two prizes: “Best Motion Picture in a Non-English Language” and “Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Motion Picture”.
Additionally, ‘The Secret Agent’ took home the “Best Foreign Language Film/Best International Film” at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards.
However, according to a recent Variety article forecasting the favorites for each Oscar category, the film is not projected to win any of the four categories in which it is nominated.
Would this be a disaster?
A huge letdown for Brazilian cinema?
Far from it.
Sure, the fervent Brazilian fans cheering for the film’s success would be disappointed, but the four Oscar nominations alone mark a huge step forward for Brazilian cinema.
The renaissance of Brazilian cinema
Brazil has always had a significant, lively film scene, but, in recent years, there’s been a somewhat dry spell of great movies. Sure, there have been some good releases here and there, but nothing on the level we’re getting now, with ‘I’m Still Here’ and ‘The Secret Agent’.
Any serious cinephile can name at least a handful of Brazilian classics.
‘Central Station’, ‘City of God’, ‘Elite Squad’ (also starring Wagner Moura)…
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ‘Bacurau’ from 2019 received some important recognition, though significantly less than it arguably deserved.
That’s why I stated a lack of Oscar wins would mean no shame or defeat for ‘The Secret Agent’. The film, both in Brazil and internationally, has sparked great repercussion and discussion, despite still lacking distributors in many important markets.
The spotlight it’s been getting is truly astonishing. In Brazil, the film is a huge sensation, naturally. What amazes me most is the repercussion it’s been receiving abroad, especially in the US. It’s not only getting attention from awards shows and industry outlets, but also from the wider media and public.
Wagner Moura’s many talk show appearances are evidence of this. Sure, he’s already a well-established Hollywood actor, but still…
In conclusion, I don’t think Oscar’s wins are all that vital for ‘The Secret Agent’. Admittedly, the film’s creatives will probably disagree, but the real victory is the attention it has been bringing to Brazil’s cinema industry.
Let’s hope the winning streak launched by ‘I’m Still Here’ carries on!
