'The Secret Agent': Exploring a Vibrant, yet Violent Brazil (2025)

The Secret Agent, Brazil's Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film, is a visually subversive political thriller. The film was shot on location in Brazil using bright, saturated colors by cinematographer Evgenia Alexandrova, AFC as a counterpoint to the dark, terrifying subject matter, proceeding as a slow burn.

Set in 1977, during the final years of Brazil's military dictatorship, The Secret Agent follows Marcelo (Wagner Moura), a former teacher and tech expert, on the run in Recife during Carnival week. Hoping to reunite with his son, Marcelo is targeted as a political dissident and forced into hiding while confronting his secret past.

Capturing a Brazil of Contradictions

"The film is about Brazil's dichotomous, yet multilayered culture," says Alexandrova. "Brazil is such an internally conflicted country, but has such a wild mixture of very different people who are forced to live together and somehow create their own identity. It's a very joyful, colorful, musical, rhythmic, tasty, warm country, but there's another side to it, which is all of this misery, wealth discrepancy and banditry."

Camera, Lenses and LUTs

Alexandrova shot The Secret Agent with Arri's Alexa 35 — predominantly paired with vintage Panavision B Series anamorphic lenses — to help capture the setting's eye-popping colors and highlights. Serving as her own camera operator, she shot at nearly 360 degrees during much of the production.

“I like images that are dynamic and contain a lot of character, with some slightly overexposed and underexposed parts,” she says. “And [our lenses] offered a lot of character in the sense that they're imperfect; they have a lot of aberrations, so if I had blown-up windows in the frame, they would create a really big halo and a really big flare."

Gas Station Interrogation — Shooting the Opening Scene

The film's protracted opening sequence, during which Marcelo pulls into an Esso gas station, draws the viewer in immediately. Shot with two cameras, the scene's compositions are sharp, with great depth of field. Despite shooting during the rainy season, the team used 12K Dino Lights, bounced to warm up the reflections on the skin, and color grading to harmonize the scene.

Staging a Dance With Death

Another standout sequence occurs when Marcelo joins the Carnival celebration outside a movie theater. It took all of the lights from all of the trucks to light the inside and outside of the cinema simultaneously. They used Arri SkyPanels for screen-light and flicker simulation, and a cold balloon to simulate the night. The scene was also partially lit by a Coca-Cola sign and other store signage to convey a 1970s vibe.