This Argentinian/Spanish film (its original title is El Secreto de Sus Ojos) won the Oscar for best foreign movie in 2010. It’s also the most viewed film of all time in Argentina (3 million viewers). After hearing some good stories about this movie I was really looking forward to seeing it.
The movie is set in Argentina, where Benjamín Espósito (Ricardo Darín) retired a couple of years ago after having worked as federal agent for several years. There is one case that he still can’t let go and he wants to write a book about it. When he was still investigating crimes, together with his partner Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella), there was a case in which a woman was raped and murdered. As he sees the extreme love of her husband after her death touches him so much that he swears to find the person responsible.
The film is told through flashbacks and as the movie progresses more details about the movie are uncovered. The changes in the political climate of Argentina also impacts the investigation.
The main characters are fleshed out in a lot of detail, which adds to the experience as you feel for these characters. They all have their background stories which results in a complex web of relationships and tension.
The movie is set in various time periods (from the seventies till now) and shows these times perfectly with the clothing and the streets. The actors themselves play themselves as young men, but also as age sets in. It’s not forced and feels very natural.
The end result is a long, interesting film full of suspense where you really can’t wait to find out what is happening in the lives of the characters and to see if they are able to close the case which has been open for so long.
Score: 9
Very good crime movie with a lot of intrigue right into the end, I quite liked it although I thought it was a bit too long for its own sake. The ending was powerful and a great way to close the movie.
I watched it on a flight back home and as flights are usually very long the movie as a result didn’t feel long too me. Yeah, the ending was really good and unexpected.