A compelling case for The Secret Agent as Best Picture at the Oscars

The article argues that the Brazilian drama-thriller The Secret Agent is the most daring and fully realised contender for this year’s Best Picture Oscar. Written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and produced by Emilie Lesclaux, the nearly three-hour film is set in Recife during Brazil’s 1970s military dictatorship. It follows Armando, played by Wagner Moura, a widowed engineering professor who becomes an enemy of the state after confronting a corrupt businessman with government ties. Forced into hiding, Armando navigates a web of hired killers, compromised officials and a repressive police force led by the menacing chief Euclides Cavalcanti.

The critic praises the film’s stylistic confidence, tonal complexity and narrative ambition. Blending black comedy, political menace and emotional introspection, the story moves from an unsettling opening scene at a remote petrol station to a tense and melancholy climax reconstructed through archival records. Recurring motifs – including Volkswagen Beetles, carnival chaos and even a shark scandal reminiscent of Jaws – enrich a layered portrait of a society living under fear and denial.

Although not overtly didactic, the film conveys its political force through mood and character rather than speeches. Armando’s longing to protect his son and reckon with his past adds emotional weight to the thriller framework. The article concludes that The Secret Agent stands apart from more conventional Oscar frontrunners through its originality, intelligence and audacity, making it a deserving candidate for cinema’s highest honour.