1977, Brazil. Former researcher Armando (Wagner Moura) makes the long journey to Recife during the carnival holiday to try and reconnect with his young son, who has been living with his in-laws since his wife died. Armando is in hiding as a result of making enemies with a member of the military dictatorship that runs Brazil and wants to escape with his son and his life. 

The Secret Agent is a uniquely interesting film. Set to the backdrop of real history, urban myths, and deadly events of the time, it features entirely fictional characters to tell its story. Using a framing device of younger researchers in the present day listening to recordings and evidence of Armando’s life, we get to see the juxtaposition of what his life might have been like in a different time. 

The opening sequence of this 161-minute feature is also perhaps its best. Armando is on the road and in need of fuel for his vehicle, pulling into the only station for what seems like miles. He is greeted with a horrific site in the forecourt casually covered by some cardboard. Fighting the urge to flee, he converses with the garage attendant before a police car pulls in. The following questioning that Armando faces is filled with suspense and fraught with danger, summing up the world that he lives in. A microcosm of Brazil under military dictatorship, where people are scared of the police and every action is under question. 

As the story unfolds, we will see Armando interact with other refugees seeking a way out of the country, discuss the loss of his wife with his father-in-law and son in fundamentally different ways, and see flashbacks of what led to her death. Interspersed with Armando’s story are real-life lessons and stories of the regime. We get to see the urban myth of the hairy leg, which enabled newspapers to write about police brutality towards homosexuals without actually pointing any fingers, and understand how carnival often came with a high body count, in which the regime would find a way to hide its enemies’ deaths. 

Wagner Moura is superb throughout. Playing Armando at different ages and even Armando’s son in the framing device. He conveys steely calm, defiance, fear, and every other emotion in a performance that was rightly nominated for acting awards, as the entire film hinges on his role. 

It is a fascinating insight into how people adapt to living under extreme circumstances. Everything is very almost normal, with just a slight off-putting feeling that you cannot quite put your finger on. Whilst the stories of the Carnival and Hairy Leg make you understand the almost absolute control the regime held and its absolute indifference for its people. 

My only real concern as a viewer is that the 161-minute runtime felt rather languid and lacking urgency in a story that was very much a history lesson for me. Perhaps with greater knowledge of the history, I might have been more gripped in this fictional story? 

Overall, it is a well-made feature with an incredible central performance that just feels too delicate in its efforts to grab your attention.