The Secret Agent

O Agente Secreto

Kleber Mendonça Filho navigates Brazil’s painful past to paint a loving portrayal of a place and its people in this slow-burning and ridiculously entertaining political thriller.

Screening dates and booking

Check which tickets are still available across the festival – and find out about extra ticket releases and standby queues.

Credits

  • Director-screenwriter

    Kleber Mendonça Filho

  • With

    Wagner Moura, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Gabriel Leone

  • Brazil-France-Germany-Netherlands 2025. 158min

  • Courtesy of

    MUBI

  • Language

    Portuguese

    With English subtitles

  • In association with

    Sight and Sound logo

Introduction

It’s carnival week in 1977 and Marcelo, a widower on the run, arrives in Recife hoping to reunite with his son. He finds refuge in a resistance commune run by an impossibly charismatic 70-year-old woman, but soon chaos catches up with him. Unafraid of playful genre-bending detours and expertly directed by Filho (Bacurau, Aquarius), this sweaty, sun-drenched and masterfully acted ride is always grounded in love – for Brazil and for cinema.

Diana Cipriano

Content warning

Contains scenes of graphic violence or injury.

How to book

Tickets start from £10 for all screenings and events in London, with concessions available for many screenings. Booking information and ticket prices.

If you’re aged 16 to 25, sign up for free to BFI 25 and Under for a chance to get £6 tickets to all screenings and events (subject to availability).

Missed out?

More tickets may become available for these screenings before and during the festival. Find out about extra ticket releases and standby queues.

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