The Secret Agent (Agente Secreto - 2025)

Maybe I should watch it again (I probably will not). A long-haul airplane ride can be distracting, and, on that trip, I had a lot of trouble following this lengthy story of a, well, secret agent in 1977 Brazil during political turmoil. That said, it earned 91 wins and 162 more nominations, many for lead actor Wagner Moura. The only actor I recognized was Udo Kier in a small part.

Kleber Mendonça Filho directs from his own original screenplay and you can hear nineteen minutes of the score by Mateus Alves and Tomas Alves Souza on Apple Music.

My personal trivia is that a Brazilian Lyft driver I met in San Francisco last month was familiar with Moura. Though I saved this substack article linking the movie to Brazil's current political climate, I didn't read it.

Kier was last blogged for Swan Song and Filho, Alves, and Souza for Bacurau (Nighthawk). Among Moura's dozens of credits is playing Pablo Escobar in twenty episodes of the series Narcos.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics make no secret of their affection for this movie, averaging 98%, while its audiences are slightly behind at 83. Before that plane ride February 10, I learned how to rent a movie and watch it offline (see below). Now this one is on Hulu with a subscription.

Steps to Rent and Download for Offline Viewing

1. Rent and Download: Search for a movie in the app of your choice (I use Apple TV), select Rent, and download it onto your device. Do this up to 30 days before watching.
2. Verify Download: Ensure the download is complete before boarding. The file is stored directly on your device.
3. Start Online: While still connected to the internet, open the app, open the rental, and press play for a few seconds. This helps to activate the 48-hour viewing window (most rentals give you only 48 hours to watch once you have started).
4. Offline Access: On the plane, activate Airplane Mode. Open the app on your device, go to Library, select Rentals, and play your movie.

5. Note: noise-canceling over-the-ear headphones are a must on airplanes.