The sad-eyed research scientist might be, as the title suggests, some kind of spy, perhaps working to undermine the U.S.-backed military regime that governed Brazil from 1964 to 1985. The film's amber light and ample bell-bottoms situate it firmly in the late 1970s, a time of repressive dictatorships and jittery paranoia, triggered by political malfeasance and instability across the world.
Unusually for a political period drama that is not in the English language, runs nearly three hours and peppers its authentic portrayal of a military dictatorship with sight gags and gory shootouts, The Secret Agent has transpired to be quite the awards magnet. Best picture and best actor, for its star Wagner Moura (who recently won a Golden Globe), are two of the four categories in which it will compete at next month's Oscars.
When the Brazilian director Kleber Mendonca Filho was writing his latest movie, in 2021, he felt shame about the situation in his homeland as it took a sharp turn to the right under then president Jair Bolsonaro. Well-informed friends would pat you on the back and say: I feel for you, the film-maker recalls. Four years later, as the film hits big screens, Bolsonaro is out of the picture and Mendonca's mood has changed.