Resistance archive documents lives erased by military rule in 'Secret Agent'

The film 'Secret Agent' delves into the concept of resistance archives, focusing on the testimonies of individuals displaced by military regimes. Opening with a stark scene from 1977 Brazil, the film depicts a brutal era, translated in Korea as "the age of rampant harm." The narrative follows Marcelo, a fugitive engineering professor, as he seeks to flee the country with his son.

Marcelo's journey leads him to work at a "Civil Identification Office" in his hometown of Recife. He is driven by a desire to record his mother's existence, seeking a document that officially acknowledges her. However, the film questions the integrity of official archives, revealing how they can be distorted or incomplete. A superior remarks that a man's name is easier to find than a woman's, highlighting how certain identities are better preserved in the "official archive."

The film contrasts these official records with "counter-memories," exemplified by the true story of Eunice, wife of former congressman Rubens Paiva, who fought against the military regime's cover-up of his death. In 'Secret Agent,' Marcelo's associate, Euzá, collects oral histories from those rendered "refugees" by the regime. The film uses skillful editing to create a space for listeners in the 2020s to access these narratives, ultimately connecting us to Marcelo's story.

Marcelo's unwavering commitment to recording and remembering, even in perilous situations, is presented as the film's central theme. His act of sharing "information", not state-collected intelligence, but memories the state seeks to erase, makes him a "secret agent." This "counter-memory" is framed as a difficult subject in the current era of rising far-right influence. Brazil's experience with military dictatorship and its subsequent struggle for truth, followed by the rise of far-right politics and historical revisionism under Jair Bolsonaro, resonates with the film's themes, suggesting a shared experience of "harmful times" for both Brazilian and Korean audiences.