The Secret Agent

January 05, 2026 00:03:23
The Secret Agent
Flicks with The Film Snob
The Secret Agent

Jan 05 2026 | 00:03:23

/

Show Notes

A man seeking refuge in a coastal city of 1977 Brazil doesn’t know that two men have been hired to kill him, in this brilliant portrait of life under dictatorship. The Secret Agent is the name of a new film by Brazilian writer and director Kleber Mendonça Filho. Right from the start with the title, we have ambiguity. It’s not a spy movie—no one is engaged in espionage. Rather, it’s presenting the experience that is prompted by the idea of a secret agent: always be on your guard, danger lurks around the corner, conceal who you are. In historical terms,…

Other Episodes

Episode

December 06, 2013
Episode Cover

Big Deal on Madonna Street

Big Deal on Madonna Street, a 1958 film directed by Mario Monicelli, is a spoof of the heist film genre, exemplified by such films...

Listen

Episode 0

April 24, 2020 00:02:55
Episode Cover

Dodsworth

William Wyler’s 1936 adaptation of a Sinclair Lewis novel deals was unusual for Hollywood: a portrait of a rocky marriage in middle age. Dodsworth,...

Listen

Episode 0

September 23, 2024 00:03:31
Episode Cover

Siberiade

The epic story of a Siberian village, from before the Soviet revolution to the 1960s. I’ve long been interested in Russian film, including films...

Listen