The Secret in Their Eyes [El secreto de sus ojos] **** (2009, Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Javier Godino, Guillermo Francella) – Classic Movie Review 11,657

Ah yes, the 2010 Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, for Argentina.

The Secret in Their Eyes [El secreto de sus ojos] is a classy, haunting, and beautifully acted 2009 Argentinian crime drama film, commandingly directed, co-written, produced and edited by Juan José Campanella, based on the novel La pregunta de sus ojos [The Question in Their Eyes] by Eduardo Sacheri, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

Ricardo Darín stars as Benjamín Espósito, a judiciary employee in charge of solving the rape and murder of Liliana Colotto de Morales, and Soledad Villamil as Espósito’s superior, judge Irene Menéndez Hastings, who helps him with his investigation.

Juan José Campanella uses a non-linear narrative to show the judiciary employee (Ricardo Darín) and his law department chief boss (Soledad Villamil) in 1974 as they investigate the rape and murder case, after Espósito promises the grieving widower Ricardo (Pablo Rago) that he will find the killer and ensure he gets a life sentence. The film also follows the characters 25 years later as they reminisce about case and uncover the buried romance between them.

A highly acclaimed modern classic, The Secret in Their Eyes is thoroughly intelligent, thoughtful, suspenseful and remarkable.

In 2015, Billy Ray wrote and directed an American remake, Secret in Their Eyes, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Alfred Molina.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,657

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