> The Secret in their Eyes
3 stars (out of 5)
Director: Juan José Campanella
Cast: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Guillermo Francella, Pablo Rago, Javier Godino, Mariano Argento, José Luis Gioia
Rating: (M)
Celebrated Argentinean writer-director Juan José Campanella uses two decades of recent Argentinean history as backdrop for this entralling murder mystery.
Campanella's focal point is ageing court employee Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darín).
Twenty-five years previously, Esposito was handed a horrific rape and murder case that still haunts him.
Seeking closure for the grief-stricken husband of the victim - while attempting to resolve his infatuation with former boss Irene (Soledad Villamil) - Esposito uses the wisdom of age to see the case from another angle.
Not cut from a hard-boiled cloth, Esposito is the everyman civil servant whose faith in the justice system is tested by Argentina's secret police.
The Secret in their Eyes is classified as a thriller, but at no stage does Campanella ever leave you with your heart in your mouth.
Subtlety is his key.
By keeping the lens clamped tight on the faces of the main characters, we are privy to every sly nuance and throwaway line.
Packed full of witty banter, The Secret in their Eyes is a sumptuous piece of film-making, that might suffer from some unnecessary false endings but is fully deserving of its Oscar.
Best thing: One amazing point-of-view shot. It starts high above a packed football stadium, and then seamlessly swoops down into a packed terrace of supporters to pick out the central protagonist.
Worst thing: The clichéd romance narrative that fortunately isn't allowed to be anything more than a diversion.
See it with: Any fan of great lighting and framing. The Secret in their Eyes is superbly shot.
- Mark Orton.
