The Hollywood Reporter Crowns ‘The Secret Agent’ Best Film of 2025

Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ‘The Secret Agent’ tops The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the year’s finest films, edging out domestic heavyweights with its blend of espionage thriller and political satire. Wagner Moura’s lead performance as a Brazilian diplomat entangled in Cold War machinations anchors the narrative, drawing comparisons to John le Carré’s understated tension. The film’s selection underscores a surge in international acclaim for Latin American cinema amid Hollywood’s blockbuster fatigue.

Mendonça Filho, director of ‘Bacurau’ and ‘Pictures of Ghosts’, co-wrote the screenplay with Moura’s input, adapting elements from real 1980s diplomatic archives. Production spanned 72 days across Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília, with a $12 million budget funded by Canal+ and HBO Max. Cinematographer Pedro Luque employed 35mm film stock to evoke period grit, capturing 1,200 setups over principal photography from March to June 2024.

Moura’s character, Ambassador Eduardo Silva, navigates double agents and regime pressures in a fictionalized 1985 summit. The ensemble includes Alice Braga as his aide, Seu Jorge as a rogue informant, and Vincent Cassel as a French liaison. Cassel’s bilingual role required three months of Portuguese immersion, while Braga’s arc spans 15 scenes blending loyalty and betrayal.

The Hollywood Reporter’s annual ranking, compiled by 25 critics, evaluated 250 features released in U.S. theaters from January to November. ‘The Secret Agent’ scored highest for its 142-minute runtime’s pacing, earning 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from 180 reviews. It outranked ‘Dune: Part Two’ at number two and ‘The Brutalist’ at three, with THR praising its “incisive critique of neocolonial whispers.”

North American release arrived via Neon on September 12, grossing $28 million domestically against a $5 million marketing push. International rollout hit 45 territories, adding $42 million, for a global total of $70 million. Neon acquired rights at Cannes 2024 for $8 million after a 12-minute standing ovation for the premiere cut.

Mendonça Filho dedicated the honor to Brazilian cinema’s resilience post-1964 dictatorship. “This film excavates silences in our history,” he stated in a THR interview. The director’s prior works grossed $15 million combined, but ‘The Secret Agent’ marks his widest U.S. platform with 1,200 screens.

Critics highlighted Luque’s lighting, utilizing natural tungsten for embassy interiors, contrasting fluorescent paranoia in interrogation sequences. Sound design by Marco Antônio Monteiro incorporated archival radio static from 120 hours of declassified tapes. Post-production wrapped in October 2024 at a São Paulo facility, integrating 450 VFX shots for period authenticity.

The film’s score, composed by Gal Costa’s son Alexandre Lé, features bossa nova motifs twisted into dissonant strings across 22 cues. Lé recorded with a 40-piece orchestra in Rio, blending electric guitar nods to João Gilberto. THR noted the music’s role in underscoring Silva’s moral erosion over eight reels.

Moura’s preparation involved six weeks shadowing diplomats, informing his 48-page character bible. The actor, Emmy-nominated for ‘Narcos’, delivered 92 takes for the climax’s defection monologue. Braga, his co-star from ‘City of God’, improvised 20 percent of their dialogues, per Mendonça Filho.

Neon’s strategy emphasized festival circuits, securing Jury Prize nods at Venice and Toronto. U.S. marketing included 15-city previews, amassing 500,000 impressions via TikTok edits of spy gadgets. The campaign’s $2 million digital spend yielded a 3.2x ROI in ticket sales.

THR’s list reflects 2025’s diversity, with five non-English films in the top 10. ‘The Secret Agent’ joins ‘Emilia Pérez’ at four, signaling bilingual narratives’ rise. Mendonça Filho’s next project, a horror anthology, greenlit by A24 for 2027.

Moura’s Silva embodies quiet heroism, rejecting a $500,000 bribe in the third act. The resolution unfolds across 12 pages, resolving threads from 47 subplots. THR forecasted Oscar contention in international feature, with Moura’s performance eyeing supporting actor.

Production adhered to SAG-AFTRA protocols, employing 180 crew across unions. Location scouts vetted 50 sites for historical accuracy, recreating a 1985 UN annex with modular sets. Budget allocation favored 40 percent to cast salaries, 30 percent to locations.

The film’s 2.39:1 aspect ratio frames wide embassy halls against claustrophobic safe houses, per Luque. Color grading in DaVinci Resolve emphasized desaturated greens, evoking bureaucratic decay. Runtime trims shaved 18 minutes from the 160-minute assembly cut.

Cassel’s casting stemmed from a 2023 Zoom audition, where he read Silva’s counterpart in French-Portuguese code-switching. Seu Jorge’s informant role draws from his ‘City of God’ roots, contributing original songs to the soundtrack’s 14 tracks.

THR’s endorsement boosts Neon’s 2025 slate, following ‘Anora’s Oscar sweep. Mendonça Filho eyes English-language follow-up, courted by Netflix post-release. Global subtitling in 28 languages facilitated 2.1 million streams on Max.

Moura’s dialogue totals 1,200 lines, peaking at 300 in act two’s summit. Braga’s aide logs 850, with 200 ad-libs retained. The script’s 110 pages clocked at 1.3 pages per minute, standard for thrillers.

The honor arrives as ‘The Secret Agent’ streams on Max from December 20. THR predicts 5 million U.S. viewers in the first quarter. Mendonça Filho’s list-topping validates Brazil’s 2025 output, with 12 features at Sundance.

Luque’s team deployed Arri Alexa Mini for 85 percent of shots, supplemented by drones for 15 exterior flights. VFX house The Mill handled 200 composites, including forged documents. Sound mix achieved Dolby Atmos certification in November.

The film’s themes resonate in current geopolitics, per THR. Silva’s arc critiques alliance fractures, mirroring 2025 summits. Mendonça Filho consulted historians for 20 fact-check passes.

Neon’s awards push includes For Your Consideration screeners mailed to 8,000 Academy members. Moura’s campaign features 10 magazine profiles, targeting three nominations. Global earnings could hit $100 million with holiday boosts.

THR’s verdict cements ‘The Secret Agent’ as 2025’s sleeper hit. Mendonça Filho’s precision elevates genre tropes into geopolitical elegy. Hollywood’s gaze shifts southward, one classified file at a time.