The Secret in Their Eyes Reviews

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I have it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. Well, once again, I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, it remains such a fascinating thriller. Somehow, it did remind me of 'Zodiac' in the way that the main character was obsessed with this case for 25 years. At first, I wonder how they would manage to keep my attention since I (thought I) knew how it would end. Eventually, many unsuspected things happened and I was captivated until the end which was quite impressive as well. I usually don't care much about such twist endings but this one gave much food for thought. I mean, did the murderer really get his rightfull punishment? Didn't Morales become a monster by treating this man this way? Didn't he throw his whole life away to get his revenge which basically meant for him to take care of his worst enemy for the rest of his life? Just like the rest of this movie, it was really intriguing and thought provoking. Basically, this flick takes its time to develop some very interesting characters, even the smaller ones, instead of throwing at us some typical boring gimmicks. Even the unconsumed love story was quite fascinating and the fact that they never ended up with each other made complete sense considering the way the characters were developed. Anyway, to conclude, it is absolutely one of the best thrillers I have seen lately and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

The story of a man who never forgot a case of murder and rape and ends up undercovering a terrible secret, a perfect revenge. Great direction that created a fine noir atmosphere and some memorable scenes, like the man chase at the stadium.

The Secret in Their Eyes is a masterfully crafted film about some very big ideas, namely about the value of human life, how we measure that value, who determines that value, and how it is best fulfilled. Of course we are not beat over the head with this message, nor does the director make obvious statements regarding his position (because as I said, it's MASTERFULLY crafted) but when we find ourselves moved by this film (and you truly will, over and over again) it usually has to do with this theme. We are presented with two different but not seperate story archs that take place in Argentina at two different times (1974 and 2000-ish). One story follows the brutal, unsolved rape/murder of a 23 year-old woman, her investigation, and the grief of her adoring and devoted widower. The other, and ultimately central, story is a love story that deals with the unfufilled romance between an accomplished, albeit young, judge and an integritous investigator assigned to the aforemention murder case. Twenty-five years later, now retired, he is compelled to write a novel about the case, but in order to do so must once again sift through so many unanswered questions. This movie covers incredible amounts of ground emotionally (not to mention temporally) with such seemingly impossible efficiency. Moments of pure hilarity are cozied up next to scenes of tragedy and achingly vivid brutality, which are weaved seemlessly through moments of unadulterated heartache, which then give way to a beckoning potential for profound transformation and happiness. Doors are closed and opened, closed and opened--on camera, in the hearts of the characters, and in our minds as we try to guess at the answers to the murder case. This movie is so different from anything I've seen in long time and so much is handled so well in this film that I can't even begin to give it the recommendation I'd like to here. It truly deserves a thoughtful audience so please, reader include yourself among them.

Esposito (Ricardo Darin) é um investigador penal aposentado que decide escrever um livro baseado em um caso nunca resolvido na década de 70, quando uma mulher foi estuprada e espancada até a morte. Esposito se mantém particularmente movido pela devastação do marido da vítima. Ao reencontrar-se com Irene, sua supervisora na época das investigações, imediatamente percebemos uma faísca que denuncia antiga atração entre eles.

Sobre uma ponte temporal entre 1974 e o atual 1999, a adaptação do romance de Eduardo Sacheri, co-roterista com Juan José Campanella mantém o pulso literário focando nos diálogos e olhares ao invés das convenções de tensão de um thriller policial, uma posição ousada convertida em acerto por Campanella. O plano sequencia acima apresenta a maestria do diretor argentino que confere força ímpar ao longa.

Em “O Segredo dos Seus Olhos”(2009) a conhecida melancolia dos filmes argentinos está presente assim como a frustração tanto de Esposito quanto Irene acerca do passado, das escolhas e possibilidade de novas mudanças. Além do romance ainda não declarado dos protagonistas, as questões políticas que cercam o crime, na época da ditadura, permanecem na medida certa, sutis ainda que necessárias em uma fita centralizada na justiça, na memória e que nos conecta com sua reflexão acerca da energia que nos move, seja o amor ou a sede de justiça.