Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent is set during the Brazilian military dictatorship of the 1970s and focuses not on overt violence, but on the subtle fear that permeates everyday life. The film follows a man trying to survive under a new identity, while silence, whispering voices and social caution show how repression becomes second nature.  

With a meandering, unconventional thriller structure and a keen focus on human interaction, Mendonça Filho explores how dictatorship manifests itself not only in terror, but above all in what cannot be said.