(ESP-ENG) The Secret Agent | The reality of South American corruption - Movie Review!

Hello friends, good vibes to all.

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The Oscar race started a while ago, and with less than a month to go before the ceremony, it's time to catch up on some of the films that are already generating buzz at recent awards shows. It won Best Foreign Language Film, Wagner Moura won Best Actor at the Golden Globes, and it has several nominations for the upcoming Oscars. All of this is reason enough to sit down and watch it, but since I live on this side of the world, I'm also interested in the social and political realities this film touches on, and it resonates because, unfortunately, these things happen in basically every country in the region.

This time, we find ourselves in Brazil in 1977, a country then mired in a military dictatorship. Marcelo (Wagner Moura) is a man fleeing something, or perhaps because of something we don't immediately know; the point is, he arrives in Recife seeking to escape and try to start over. Apparently, there's a kind of support network that aims to assist people like him, so Marcelo initially seems to feel safe. All that changes when he learns that some people have located him, people who, at the end of the day, are hitmen protected by the government's police or regime and who therefore act with complete impunity. As you can see, everything is very similar to the places where we live, even though this story has almost 50 years of history.

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The film's plot revolves around Marcelo's need for protection while simultaneously exposing the system's corruption and widespread flaws. I read somewhere that this film is "timeless," meaning it endures, remains relevant, and applies to any timeline in South America—and unfortunately, it does. There are several things I really liked, one of them being the setting. They perfectly captured the essence of the 1970s, both in the costumes and the cinematography itself; the typical sepia tone that permeates the entire film is quite common, even cliché.

It's a very tough story because it portrays a reality that many people were familiar with: the age-old power struggle between the untouchable and the righteous. I can't talk about the context because it would be a spoiler, but that's what it's about: being persecuted for your ideas, your achievements, and for refusing to give in to the blackmail and manipulation of those "at the top." In that sense, it's very raw because these are things that are still happening in 2026. I think it's very well done. There aren't any big action scenes, nor is it a big-budget production, but what it tells—Marcelo's personal and tragic story—is perfectly portrayed. If the idea was to show the true face of how things were back then, then it's a 10 out of 10.

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Brazil, culturally speaking, is very different from the rest of the world. Watching this film allows us to get a glimpse into their idiosyncrasies and realize that, despite those differences, we are quite similar. And for this to happen, excellent acting is essential. Wagner Moura is top-notch at what he does; he's already won awards this season for a reason. The entire film rests on his shoulders, and he doesn't disappoint; he's a great actor. The rest of the cast also delivers solid performances. They're all Brazilian, but they're very immersed in their roles, and everything felt very natural. At times, it felt more like a documentary than a feature film. For me, it's an 8.5/10. A great movie, almost 3 hours long, but you don't get tired of it. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand that today's problems are nothing new. I've included the trailer below.

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Well folks, that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed it.
¡Hugs to everyone, see you next time!