While mass entertainment movies are made to collect commercial revenues, the true value of a critical movie lies in the appreciation it gets for the compelling artwork. On top of that, if a movie manages to bag a nod at the highly esteemed Cannes Film Festival, then there is no bigger recognition. This year, despite fierce contention, one movie made it to the top, getting praise from all quarters: The Secret Agent.

Competing for the Palme d'Or and earning a 13-minute standing ovation at the event, the movie stood out as extraordinary cinema work. 

The Secret Agent is a historical political thriller that is a co-production between Brazil, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, the movie stars Wagner Moura as Marcelo, a teacher caught in the political turmoil of the final years of the Brazilian military dictatorship.

Other than Wagner Moura, it has a small Brazilian star cast, including Gabriel Leone, known for Verdedas Secretas and Ferrari; Maria Fernanda Cândido, and German actor Udo Kier.

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At the ongoing Cannes, the movie won big with two awards: Wagner Moura won the best actor award, and Mendonça won the best director award for the retro-themed movie. The film also won the Fipresci Prize in the Official Selection – Competition category.

The Secret Agent zeroes in on Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, who came back to a small city in order to get closer to his young son after losing his wife to pneumonia in 1977. But he ends up in a political turmoil after finding himself in a town under siege at Carnival time by criminal elements in the country, which is being run by a dictatorship and losing the chance for a better life under the ruling class.

This is filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho’s third successful run at Cannes. Previously, he had debuted the movie Aquarius in 2016 starring Sonia Braga, and the surreal western Bacurau in 2019, which again starred Braga and won the Jury Prize in 2019. These movies followed the same theme of people threatened with losing their way of life, being displaced.

After the Cannes premiere, Neon acquired North American distribution rights to the film and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is planning a theatrical release later this year, though the exact release date is still a mystery. While MUBI acquired the rights for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America (excluding Brazil), and India, it will come out in Australia on June 11 and in France on January 14, 20

Although The Secret Agent and its fellow competitor, The Mastermind, who were running in the race for the Palme d'Or, lost the race to It Was Just an Accident, The Secret Agent has witnessed massive acclaim at the event, and fans are hoping to see it in cinemas soon.

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