Sagaspedia
The Secret Agent
Plot
The Secret Agent is set in 1977, during the darkest years of Brazil's military dictatorship. Armando, a former researcher, arrives in Recife in the middle of Carnival week. A widower since losing his wife Fátima, he left his young son Fernando with his in-laws and now wants to get close to the boy again.
Armando isn't there on vacation. He hides out in a boarding house run by Dona Sebastiana, who shelters people the regime is after. There he goes by the name Marcelo and befriends other dissidents.
Through that network he lands a job at the city's ID card office. That's where he meets police chief Euclides, a crooked cop who offers friendship and protection but never seems to do anything for free.
Meanwhile, in São Paulo, hitmen are hired to kill Armando. And back in Recife, a human leg found inside a shark becomes a police case and front-page news. The net tightens around him before he knows where the danger is coming from.
Official trailer
Awards and nominees
- Golden Globes 2026 · Best Actor – Drama · Wagner Moura
Beat: Train Dreams (Joel Edgerton), Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), The Smashing Machine (Dwayne Johnson), Sinners (Michael B. Jordan), Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (Jeremy Allen White) - Golden Globes 2026 · Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
Beat: It Was Just an Accident, No Other Choice, Sentimental Value, Sirāt, The Voice of Hind Rajab - Cannes Film Festival 2025 · Best Director
- Cannes Film Festival 2025 · Best Actor · Wagner Moura
Trivia
- It was the most awarded film at Cannes 2025: Best Actor for Wagner Moura, Best Director, the FIPRESCI Prize and the Art House Cinema Award.
- In Brazil it drew over 2.5 million admissions and R$52 million at the box office by March 2026.
- It won two Golden Globes: Non-English Language film and Best Actor in a Drama for Wagner Moura.
- It received four Oscar nominations in 2026, including Best Picture and Best Actor.
Cast
- Armando / MarceloWagner Moura
- Sr. AlexandreCarlos Francisco
- Dona SebastianaTânia Maria
- EuclidesRobério Diógenes
- Bobbi BorbaGabriel Leone
- FátimaAlice Carvalho
- ElzaMaria Fernanda Cândido
- HansUdo Kier
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · npr.org
Original text by Sagaspedia. Posters: The Movie Database (TMDB); character photos via Wikipedia. This site uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. All trademarks and titles mentioned belong to their respective owners. Streaming availability may change.
As an Amazon Associate, Sagaspedia earns from qualifying purchases.
About · Contact · Privacy · [email protected]