“Some say that trauma builds character; in brazil, our historical trauma has built a dark sense of humor,” wrote Rafaela Bassili in an outstanding piece for Notebook last month.”Mocking the absurdity of daily life is a national pastime; laughter is a means of sublimating fear.” Bassili’s engaging primer surveying the impact on Brazilian cinema of the right-wing military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985 is an ideal companion to The Secret Agent Network, a series programmed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and running at Film at Lincoln Center from January 7 through 13.

Critic-turned-filmmaker Mendonça broke through in 2012 with Neighboring Sounds, a mosaic of vignettes set in a cluster of luxurious high-rises in recife, the city on the northeastern coast of Brazil where Mendonça was born and raised. Aquarius (2016) stars Sônia Braga as a retired music critic who refuses to give up her apartment in a building developers aim to tear down, and Bacurau (2019), codirected with Juliano Dornelles, wields generic tropes borrowed from spaghetti westerns and horror and sci-fi movies to depict a rural community under siege.

The deep research for the nonfiction feature Pictures of Ghosts (2023), an enchanting blend of autobiography and cultural history-with a particular emphasis on Recife’s movie theaters-led directly to The Secret Agent. Set in 1977, more than a decade into the dictatorship, The Secret Agent is, as the New Yorker‘s Richard Brody writes, “a political thriller that’s also perhaps the year’s most profuse and populous movie, overflowing with sharply drawn characters who fill the screen with daring action and ardent purpose (whether honorable or corrupt).”

Leading the diverse cast is Wagner Moura as a widower and former professor who arrives in Recife to reunite with his nine-year-old son-but then learns that assassins have been hired to kill him. Until a network of underground activists can secure the documents he needs to leave the country, he’s going by the name Marcelo.

“The reasons behind this assumed name are slowly parceled out through The Secret Agent-including in one bravura flashback that owes much to nicolas Roeg’s analeptic set pieces in his ’70s touchstones Don’t Look Now and The Man Who Fell to earth,” writes Melissa Anderson at 4Columns. “A large part of The Secret Agent’s high-spirited energy stems from Mendonça’s fully indulging his enchantment with ’70s cinema, evident not only in the roeg homage but also in his use of split diopter“`html

Cinema Novo: A Revolutionary Brazilian Film Movement

Cinema Novo (New Cinema) was a highly influential Brazilian film movement that emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Rejecting traditional cinematic conventions and addressing pressing social and political issues,Cinema Novo filmmakers sought to create a uniquely Brazilian cinema that was both aesthetically innovative and politically engaged. This movement left an indelible mark on Brazilian culture and influenced filmmaking globally.

Origins and Influences

Cinema Novo arose from a confluence of factors, including Brazil’s rapid urbanization, social inequality, and political turmoil. The movement was a response to the perceived dominance of hollywood films and a desire to create a national cinema that reflected the realities of Brazilian life. Influenced by Italian Neorealism and the French New Wave, Cinema Novo filmmakers adopted a similar focus on realism, location shooting, and non-professional actors. However, Cinema Novo distinguished itself by its explicit engagement with Brazil’s colonial past, its critique of social injustice, and its exploration of national identity.

Key Influences: Neorealism and the French New Wave

Italian Neorealism,with its focus on portraying the lives of ordinary people and its use of non-professional actors and on-location shooting,provided a crucial model for Cinema Novo. Films like Bicycle Thieves (1948) demonstrated the power of simple storytelling to convey profound social commentary.Similarly, the French New Wave, with its emphasis on auteur theory and stylistic experimentation, inspired Cinema Novo filmmakers to challenge conventional filmmaking techniques.

Core Characteristics and Themes

cinema Novo films are characterized by several key features:

• Political Engagement: Films often addressed issues of poverty, land reform, political oppression, and social inequality.
• Realism: A commitment to portraying Brazilian life authentically, often using non-professional actors and shooting on location.
• Aesthetic Innovation: Experimentation with narrative structure,cinematography,and editing techniques.
• National Identity: Exploration of Brazilian culture, history, and identity, often with a critical viewpoint.
• “An Idea Per Second” aesthetic: A intentional attempt to create a dynamic and visually arresting style, often employing rapid editing and unconventional camera angles.

Recurring themes in Cinema Novo films include the plight of the marginalized, the legacy of colonialism, the search for national identity, and the struggle for social justice. The movement often employed allegory and symbolism to convey its messages, particularly in the face of censorship during Brazil’s military dictatorship.

Key Filmmakers and Films

Several filmmakers became central figures in the Cinema Novo movement:

• Glauber Rocha: Considered the most significant figure in Cinema novo, Rocha directed groundbreaking films such as Black God, White Devil (1968) and The Earth Trembles (1969). His work is known for its radical political stance and its innovative use of cinematic language.
• Nelson Pereira dos Santos: A pioneer of Cinema Novo, dos Santos directed Rio, 40 Degrees (1955), often considered the first film of the movement, and Vidas Secas (1963), a stark portrayal of life in the brazilian backlands.
• Ruy Guerra: A brazilian-Mozambican filmmaker, Guerra directed The Guns (1964), a politically charged film about rural workers.
• Jorge Bodanzky: Known for his documentaries and fiction films addressing social issues, Bodanzky contributed considerably to the movement’s aesthetic and political goals.

Decline and Legacy

Cinema Novo faced increasing challenges in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including censorship, political repression, and funding difficulties. The 1964 military