I’m Trevor with the Sasquatch Movie Minute and we are running down my ranking of the 10 nominees for Oscars BEST PICTURE 2025.

 

#8 is THE SECRET AGENT, directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho, starring Wagner Moura

 

This bright and beautiful-looking Brazilian film is about a man returning to his hometown, fleeing a mysterious past. This movie felt very wandering to me; filled with narrative loose ends. Its almost 3 hours long and it FELT long. It’s a hangout film. There are some tight moments and some shocking action, but it seem haphazardly thrown into the plot and didn’t last long. I just didn’t feel emotionally connected to the film and while I soaked up the colors and fantastic details about Brazilian life, I was having a difficult time grasping on to the narrative of the lead actor.

 

Best scene. I think I’ll go with the first scene at the gas station. The bright yellow car pops against the greens and blue sky. We still don’t know what is going on, but there is an itchy danger here and the spectre of the body under the board and the flies makes everything heavy and foreboding. This feel like the start of a Sergio Leone Western and there was so much potential here!

 

Performance. Ok, I just don’t get all the praise heaped on Wagner Moura for his lead performance. For almost the entirety of the film, he felt morose and closed-off. Maybe his acting was just too subtle for me that I missed it all? Near the end, he plays a different character; one that has more movement and personality, and I thought this quick character was better than anything else he had done in the rest of the film.

 

See this movie for a beautiful peek into Brazilian culture, but don’t expect a fast-moving plot.