US Edition
Film Reviews: The Secret Agent | If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
The Secret Agent links Brazil's 1970s dictatorship repression to modern academic funding cuts, with federal universities losing 14.4% of their budget under Bolsonaro, officials said.
- Published on 19 February 2026, the review covers The Secret Agent and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, both opening in cinemas from 20 February.
- Set in Recife in 1977, the film depicts Marcelo, an exiled academic, returning home and living undercover after a contract is placed on him, with a matter-of-fact tone.
- Frequently shot in extreme close-ups, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You unfolds over a week of escalating pressure as Rose Byrne, Oscar-nominated for Linda, anchors the film's harrowing portrait.
- Nominated for four Academy Awards, The Secret Agent includes best picture and best actor for Wagner Moura, linking past abuses to a new generation.
- Mendonça Filho wrote The Secret Agent during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, and the film's focus on academic freedom echoes attacks on federal universities and 2019-2022 funding cuts.
13 Articles
13 Articles
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