Episode
"The Secret Agent" And The Increasingly International Academy
- Podcast
- Critical Darlings
- Published
- Feb 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 5553
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/critical-darlings-7771666/episodes/the-secret-agent-and-the-increasingly-international-academy/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/critical-darlings-7771666/the-secret-agent-and-the-increasingly-international-academy.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Viva Brazil! Today we discuss Best Picture nominee The Secret Agent, the simmering, colorful Brazilian thriller about a man on the run, starring the dreamy Wagner Moura and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. The story, about retaining personal and political memory under authoritarianism, has proven resonant with an international audience and awards bodies, garnering three additional Oscar nominations for Best International Feature, Best Casting, and Best Actor for Moura. On this episode, we discuss The Secret Agent itself, how it fits into and subverts the tropes of international films at the Oscars, the Eurovision-like process for international nominations, check in on the Berlin Film Festival, and do a very special Il Postino corner. Subscribe to Richard's newsletter, Premiere Party, and read Alison's work at Vulture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices