The Secret in Their Eyes Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 04.23.2010
The Oscar winning foreign language film is now in theaters, and it will knock your socks off!
Ricardo Darin: Benjamin Esposito
Soledad Villamil: Irene Menendez Hastings
Pablo Rago: Ricardo Morales
Javier Godino: Isidoro Gomez
Guillermo Francella: Pablo Sandoval
Jose Luiz Gioia: Inspector Baez
Carla Quevedo: Liliana Coloto
Directed By: Juan Jose Campanella
Written By: Juan Jose Campanella and Eduardo Sacheri
Release Date: April 16, 2010
Running Time: 127 minutes
Rated R for a rape scene, violent images, some graphic nudity and language.
There is a scene more than midway into The Secret in Their Eyes which involves the two central characters parting ways for a very long time. One is Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darin) and he is getting on a train. The other is Irene Menendez Hastings (Soledad Villamil), and as the train leaves the station, she jogs beside it, and as it gradually picks up speed, she continues to run, all the while looking solemnly into the window at a man she cares deeply for. It is a sequence moviegoers have seen countless times before. It is a cliché, and normally it would mark the height of schmaltz or sappiness in a story. Is it so easy that all the actors need to do is just look lovingly into each others’ eyes as the camera captures their sad departure? On most occasions, that is all that happens, but in this particular film, I fell under the spell. They got me hook, line, and sinker and it is one of the only times a scene like this was effective to me because I genuinely believed in what Benjamin and Irene were feeling.
The Secret in Their Eyes is only part romance. The bulk of the screenplay, adapted from a novel by Eduardo Sacheri by writer-director Juan Jose Campanella, focuses on a murder, one which spans from 1974 to 2000. More than 25 years is a long time for a murder case to act as a looming cloud over one’s career, but for criminal court investigator Benjamin Esposito, it is a period in his life that has always haunted him. He returns to the location of his old job with the goal to write about the case in novel form. The film is told in flashbacks, and begins with Benjamin wanting to dig out the case files and write the novel. From there, the past is uncovered for us. The specifics of the murder are that a young girl was raped and killed inside her house in a Buenos Aires neighborhood. Benjamin is aided in the investigation by his alcoholic partner Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella) and the Ivy-League educated lawyer Irene Menendez-Hastings, the newly appointed department chief.
The victim’s husband Ricardo Morales (Pablo Rago) is stunned and saddened by the news of his wife’s death. He wants to receive updates on the course of the investigation regularly. As the scenario unfolds, Benjamin must not only unearth some evidence, but he must also contend with a rival named Romano, who is not exactly straight as an arrow. He hurts the case by pinning the crime on two immigrant workers to quickly brush the matter under the rug. This amplifies the anger and tension between the two, which only gets worse as the situation escalates. Finally Benjamin and company catch a break when the widowed Morales provides he and Sandoval with some old pictures of his deceased wife. I could not in good conscience reveal anymore. It would a disservice to the film if I did.
The Academy Award winning foreign language film is an emotionally rich and passionately made piece from Campanella, whose previous effort Son of the Bride also earned an Oscar nomination in the same category for 2002. Campanella crafts this with detailed elegance and instills a traditional sort of ambiance to the tale. When the characters in a given movie are attempting to solve a murder, it will always draw viewers in. Integrate a convincing romance and you have the ability to reach just about anybody. That is what Campanella, also a versatile television director, accomplishes. He successfully tugs at our heart strings, but not in a manipulative manner. Instead, it feels almost old-fashioned, like Laura or The Big Sleep, but not nearly as steeped with film noir tendencies. One can isolate similarities between The Secret in Their Eyes and other pictures, but Campanella gives this a distinctive texture that is hypnotizing and enticing.
Ricardo Darin has a name and face that struck me as awfully familiar, but upon perusing his resume, I noticed that this is the first title of his I have seen. Perhaps he was so comfortable on screen as federal justice agent Benjamin Esposito that I felt I must have observed his intrinsic talents before. It is an adoring and intense portrayal, one where the actor and the filmmaker go to great lengths to exude the intricacies of the character. In fact, every person associated with this story is appropriately fleshed out and skillfully developed, but Esposito is such a remarkably flawed hero. Watching this grueling case shape and affect his life is absorbing and frustrating because we want him to succeed despite the elements working against him. There is never a doubt as to why this brutal slaying has plagued him all these years. Benjamin’s verbal bouts with Romano are tremendously electrifying. Mariano Argento is wickedly compelling as his nemesis Romano.
The shared feelings between Benjamin and Irene do not exactly turn out the way either wants them to. Both cast members are persuasive in emitting those sentiments without spelling them out. Sometimes the world keeps two people that love each other apart. It could be that one of the parties can not adequately confess their true thoughts, or maybe it just isn’t the right time. Regardless, Darin and Soledad Villamil express this multiple decade damaged affection with class and subtlety. Villamil’s Irene is a strong-willed, tasteful, and determined lady. She is a valuable department chief and a key component to the sporadic happiness of Esposito. Villamil’s turn can be described with the same adjectives that I just used to express the nature of persona. The captivating gaze of her eyes is certainly important, but allusions to the title are deeper than just Irene’s striking stare. Campanella shoots her with the utmost care and fervor. On a side note, the aging makeup for both Benjaming and Irene is exemplary.
In some circumstances, a movie drunk is depicted as not only being inept, but also pathetic. They can never drink as much as they do and still be somewhat efficient in their jobs. Thankfully, Benjamin’s partner Pablo Sandoval does not suffer from this issue. Some do, but he is not wholly ineffectual. His nightly drinking does interfere with his life and occasionally his job, but he still lends a helping hand. It might not be all the time and it might not be faultless, but he is an asset, albeit an unwieldy one. Guillermo Francella gives a terrific turn as Sandoval, a man who, whether he knows it or not, relies on Benjamin’s concern and supervision of him. Pablo Rago is evocative and lingering as Ricardo Morales, the husband who lost a wife. The image of him obsessively waiting at a terminal for the suspect to possibly arrive is poignant and tragic.
As many glorious twists and turns The Secret in Their Eyes possesses around every corner, it is not a perfect film. There are two very convenient coincidences that I found a bit hard to swallow, but were nevertheless handled well enough so as to not excessively harm the overall rating. One of them occurs during one of the notable stand out sequences. It is a foot chase at a soccer stadium concerning a certain suspect. This is a thrilling and brilliantly staged segment, but the moment that prompted it seemed far-fetched. Later, there is a scene where a crucial character is spotted on television, off to the side. It is another coincidence that advances the plot, and these together seemed too glaring. In terms of great sequences though, another deals with searching letters in an old lady’s house. Despite my misgivings, Campanella builds suspense like a veteran of the genre would.
One aspect of Benjamin Esposito that I enjoyed was his keen ability to read people. This is an extremely helpful quality for anyone in law enforcement or criminal justice, and although he has natural troubles in other areas of his life, his prowess at analyzing suspects and evidence is fascinating. Campanella uses photographs to further the investigation, in the vein of Blow-Up. This movie displays how much someone can learn from one picture, but you have to know what to look for. Most of us would be busy admiring other parts of a photo, but an investigator of any sort notices different features, and seeing Benjamin do this was exhilarating.
Campanella’s lean on melodrama mercifully never goes overboard. He hits the deliberate stride he was aiming for and never falters from then on. He understands when to push hard and pull back from certain areas. He is also adept in juggling the political background of the story, which is wisely kept at a distance. When Dictator Juan Peron died in 1974, he was replaced by his wife Isabel. This was a dangerous and turbulent period in Argentina, one of random kidnappings and death squads, but Campanella marvelously acknowledges these factors without having them distort or distract the audience from what is really important. He respects his characters, their dilemmas, and their objectives too much to drown them in political turmoil. The lighting is fantastic, and with cinematographer Felix Monti, they convey a clever urgency that is addictive. This is aided by the stirring music from Federico Jusid and Emilio Kauderer. Campanella’s direction is versatile and vigorous with powerful close-ups and effortless sweeps. The dialogue is unassuming, yet penetrating and painfully sincere.
The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos) is only the 2nd Argentinean film to emerge victorious with an Academy Award. It has also gone on to become the second most successful film in the country. It is not hard to see why. This is an exceedingly appealing, touching, and rousing mystery romance. It steadily paced, but unconditionally energetic in that it progresses like a fuse burning at the same speed until reaches the explosive. That final blast is delivered here in a significant twist, and its plausibility could be contended, but it left a permanent imprint on me. The outburst of emotion and what it means to certain characters is unforgettable. “A guy can change anything. His face, his home, his family, his girlfriend, his religion, his God. But there's one thing he can't change. He can't change his passion.” That line from Sandoval becomes etched in your mind. And if movies are my passion, I’d say this is one you do not want to miss.
The 411: This is the third murder mystery of the year from a foreign country that I have loved. After South Korea’s Mother, Sweden’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and now this, the rest of the offerings in this genre have a lot to live up to for. Yes, this is a murder mystery, but it is not only about who the killer is. This is extremely profound and also houses a poignant love story. Writer/Director Juan Jose Campanella has crafted a brilliant film, and although it might not be totally flawless, it leaves its mark for sure, and it contains scenes that you are not likely to forget. With amazing performances from Ricardo Darin and Soledad Villamil, The Secret in Their Eyes is an exciting movie that will leave you breathless and satisfied. It is only a limited release, but make sure to remember it when the DVD comes out.
