The Secret In Their Eyes

I wasn’t planning on writing a review for The Secret In Their Eyes. The picture won Best Foreign Language Film for the 2010 Oscars in February, but it wasn’t available for viewing here until May. I figured that by now, few people would have a chance to see it so I wasn’t going to bother. But it’s been 10 days since I’ve seen the film and it is still sticking with me. Any movie that makes that big of an impression deserves a second look.

The Secret In Their Eyes is a mystery revolving around the death of a young woman. An Argentine Court Investigator is now retired and he has decided to write a book about one of his early cases. He obtains access to police records, but even though they contain the facts, they don’t show the human elements, such as the grief of the husband, the shock of the discovery, or the emotional toll taken on the investigators. These details are filled in by memory and like all history; some details are influenced by the imagination.

Ricardo Darin plays Benjamin Esposito the court investigator and his previous partner, Soledad Villamil, is now the district attorney. When he asks for her help and has her read his manuscript, old feelings are re-ignited and questions are raised. He implores her to reopen the case and by digging for information, he becomes closer to the truth. He also flushes out some people who want to keep the truth buried.

The aspect of the film that has been haunting me is the sentiment conveyed by Benjamin Esposito’s investigative partner Pablo Sandoval, Guillermo Francella. He said that a man can change his look, he can change his politics, he can even change his religious affiliation, but one thing that a man cannot change is his passions. We cannot choose what we love. I have found this idea very intriguing.

Another character in the film is the murder victim’s husband, Pablo Rago. He was so in love with his wife that he visits the railway station everyday looking for her murderer. The investigators have identified the murderer as a jilted lover from her past, Javier Godino. A boy she never acknowledged. But the man has eluded capture for over a decade. The victim’s husband still waits.

One of the things that permeates Esposito’s mind is the love that existed between the murder victim and her husband. He finds it difficult to imagine a passion that strong. Over the years that memory intensifies until he begins to question what he really saw. The Secret In Their Eyes is about passion, what we choose to remember and how memories change with time. This movie gives you a lot to think about and since my passion is movies, I thought I’d share this film with you. I hope it really gets you thinking.

Rating: First Run A story about passion and what we chose to remember