The Secret in Their Eyes

When Juan Jose Campanella is not directing episodes of Law and Order, CSI or the like, he periodically returns to Argentina make a movie. In this case he directed and co-wrote the screenplay of The Secret in Their Eyes. Thus far it is the most successful movie in Argentina in the past thirty-five years and now in just few days after we saw it, we will find out if this Academy Award nominated movie for the Best Foreign Film will win an Oscar. It reminds us of the French movie, Tell No One, one of our all time favorites, as it is also a sophisticated detective story with an easy flowing but yet a complicated plot that keeps you thinking and guessing throughout the story. It is in Spanish, of course, with good subtitles. This movie is not only a mystery, crime movie but it is also a subtle romantic film which is has very good comedic moments. There is the use of a narrative technique that allows you to see the story through the imagination and the memory of the main character Benjamin Esposito played by well-known Argentine actor Ricardo Darin. There are skillfully done movements, which go back and forth in time as well as shifting the point of view, which on a few occasions took a few moments for us to orient ourselves. The acting, directing and photography were superb with great realism and therefore it surprised us to learn that the budget was only two million dollars. As required for all good movies of this genre, there is a strong ending, which will hold your interest and encourage further reflection.

Simply put, this is one of the finest films I've ever seen. I don't say that lightly, I don't exaggerate when it comes to talking about movies -- but everything about this one, from the acting to the writing, to the camera work, to the directorial decisions, is grade A. The story deals with deep matters, and it does so one step at a time, with a plot that moves steadily forward, gathering force, substance and intensity, not settling for easy answers or plot points, not cutting corners. The characters are complicated, interesting, believable, flawed, funny, tragic and deeply human.

I prefer not to get specific about what happens -- I mostly want to try to get across the quality of this bugger. So I'll say it again: it's one of the best films I've ever seen, as good as anything out there. If there's any justice, a lot of people will see it.

The retired justice officer Benjamín Espósito (Ricardo Darin) decides to write a novel based on the Morales Case of twenty-five years ago and has difficulties to find the right beginning. He visits his former chief Irene Menéndez-Hastings (Soledad Villamil) in the tribunal to show his draft. In the 70's, Benjamín has an unrequited love for his new-hired chief Irene that belongs to an upper-class. Benjamin is assigned to investigate the murder of Liliana Coloto (Carla Quevedo), a beautiful woman recently married with Ricardo Morales (Pablo Rago) that had been brutally raped and murdered. Benjamin and his alcoholic partner Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella) feel touched with the grief of Ricardo and go further in their investigation. Benjamin observes that a man named Isidoro Gómez (Javier Godino) is staring Liliana in many pictures and he becomes the prime-suspect. Meanwhile the tension between Ricardo and Irene increases along the days but Ricardo does not understand the signs of her eyes. Twenty five years later, Ricardo is still haunted by his love for Irene and for the unsatisfactory resolution of the Morales Case.

"El Secreto de Sus Ojos" is a film awarded with the Oscar of Best Foreign Language Film of the Year with a dramatic story that perfectly entwines crime, thriller and a subtle romance in an adequate pace. The direction of Juan José Campanella is tight and the screenplay is wonderful, unfolding two lead stories – the brutal murder of a young woman and the repressed love of a subaltern for his chief – with many subplots. The acting is top-notch, with excellent dialogs and many funny lines but never vulgar. The cinematography and the camera work are magnificent and there is one specific scene very impressive with the camera approaching to the stadium in the middle of a soccer game between Huracán and Racing. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Segredo dos Seus Olhos" ("The Secret of Your Eyes")

Last night I went to watch this flick, and I must say that all in all, I ended up quite surprised because of it's impressive quality. Taking into account that I was already expecting superior film, indeed, it came out to be even more outstanding than I thought, mainly because of the rare combination of noir genre with very precise and measured funny moments and especially an incredibly faithful description of the Argentine system of justice and the characters that compose it. This last element is just perfect. The movie keeps your attention all the time -no decays at all- and the set design is also great, to such extent that it left me wondering what the tricks of the trade employed to achieve such similarity are. Foreign watchers might not fully understand some great details that are mainly local, but anyway they will surely enjoy the thrilling aspects of the film. It would be enough for them to say that almost all this locale's are just true, no matter how incredible they might look.

This is it. A film that you can't get your eyes off until lights are back on... and then it's still difficult to stand up. A thriller, with lovable main characters, that makes you smile and think. A movie about a crime and a love. It has one of best chase scenes I've ever seen, involving what seems to be real complex camera work, something that could've been part of a Lord of the Rings movie maybe (at least that is what it looked like from my seat). Simply amazing. The acting is perfect. The pace is perfect. The ending couldn't be better (and we have seen so many great films that spoil it all at the end!).

Just go see it and enjoy what cinema should always be. It's a 10 out of 10.