As the 2025 Cannes Film Festival draws to a close, there are a few favorites to take home the coveted Palme d’Or. And Kleber Mendonça Filho‘s “The Secret Agent” is among them; don’t be surprised if the political thriller snatches a couple of prizes at the fest’s award ceremony tomorrow.
And to build further hype for the film, here’s a new teaser for “The Secret Agent.” Neon snatched up distribution rights for Filho’s latest shortly after its premiere, so expect it in theaters in times for award season later this year. Set in 1977 Brazil, “The Secret Agent” stars Wagner Moura as Marcelo, a technology expert on the run from the oppressive dictatorship that grips the country and its people.
Here’s an official synopsis for “The Secret Agent,” courtesy of the Cannes Film Festival:
Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non-violent refuge he seeks.
Along with Moura, “The Secret Agent” also stars Udo Kier, Gabriel Leone, Maria Fernanda Cândido, and Thomás Aquino. Hermila Guedes, Isabél Zuaa, and Alice Carvahlo also star.
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Filho writes and directs “The Secret Agent,” a film he told Cannes is about “how individuals operate within an oppressive system, how they resist or submit.” It’s the Brazilian director’s first narrative feature since 2019’s heralded “Bacurau.” Other recent work for Filho includes the 2023 doc “Pictures Of Ghosts.”
So will “The Secret Agent” be a big winner at Cannes tomorrow? Follow The Playlist’s coverage of the festival to find out. Right now, it looks like a tight race between Filho’s film, Joachim Trier‘s “Sentimental Value,” and Mascha Schilinski‘s “Sound Of Falling” for the Palme d’Or, but don’t count out a couple of other dark horse picks. While we all wait for tomorrow’s victors, check out the teaser for “The Secret Agent” below.
