"The Secret Agent" is yet another proof of how great Brazilian cinema is. It's very comparable to I'm Still Here in terms of themes and filmmaking, but it's much more violent. The film tells an intense, heavy story set during a period of Brazilian history rich enough to spawn countless narratives. And despite its long runtime, it's always magnetic and gripping thanks to its incredible direction, cinematography, and-above everything else-the performances. The cast, led by the legendary Wagner Moura (with a special shout-out to Tânia Maria), deliver Oscar-worthy, unforgettable work. There are even a few funny or lighthearted scenes sprinkled in to lift the mood, which I really appreciated. On the other hand, the third act felt a bit underwhelming. The choice to use the same actor to play a different character (something I usually hate) felt unnecessary, and several loose ends were left hanging. You can fill them in with your own imagination, but with such a long runtime, those threads and the entire story deserved to be completed on screen. I would have trimmed some of the excess earlier to allow the story to conclude fully. These issues prevent me from giving the film a higher rating-but it remains a great piece of art and filmmaking nonetheless.

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