With a row of awards and a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s fascinating historical thriller wins him a still bigger audience.

In 1977 Recife, ex-professor Armando reunites with his son and in-laws under the pall of Brazil’s military dictatorship. A new job lets him search for traces of his censored past, while finding connection with fellow dissidents – but simultaneously, hitmen are tasked with hunting him, leaving him precious little time and fewer exits. Well-established as one of Brazil’s leading filmmakers, Mendonça (Aquarius, Bacurau) spreads his wings further, seamlessly balancing 70s action and intrigue with an absorbing and beautiful study of the past’s vulnerability under totalitarianism. Wagner Moura (Pablo Escobar from Narcos) delivers a similarly masterful performance as the stoic lead, and Udo Kier stands out in the last role before his death.