Political, Flashy

When Argentina’s “The Secret in Their Eyesâ€� won the 2010 Academy Award for best foreign language film, European punters were surprised:  They had bet on either France’s gritty “A Prophetâ€� or Germany’s distasteful “The White Stripe.â€� 

   But director and co-writer Juan Jose Campanella (who makes films in Argentina and has  directed “Law and Orderâ€� episodes here) has made an attractive, stylish mystery-cum-love story, punctuated with political references, flashbacks, violence, comedy and even ghosts. 

   Above all it features three splendid performances.

   Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darin),  recently retired as a Buenos Aires state court criminal investigator, is haunted by memories of an unresolved, 25-year-old case in which a young wife was raped and murdered. The killer was arrested, largely due to investigative work by Esposito and his subordinate, Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella), but then released by a former colleague of Esposito’s to become an agent of Argentina’s repressive secret police.

    Esposito decides to write a novel based on the case and is reunited with Irene Menendez Hastings (Soledad Villamil), once his well-connected boss just home from Cornell Law School and now a judge.  Esposito was in love with Hastings, and he still is; but their social distance kept him from telling her. As Esposito recalls the murder and investigation, the film mixes flashbacks with real-time scenes, sometimes confusingly. But director Campanella, who can be heavy handed and often leaves nothing to nuance, is also nimble and artistic. His camera crawls through barely lighted spaces building tension, he treats the Hastings-Esposito romance gently, and he even introduces some wonderfully comic relief, particularly between Esposito and Sandoval.

   There are flashy, technically brilliant moves in the film that call attention to the camera.

    An aerial shot of a soccer stadium descends seamlessly into the crowd to pick out Esposito, Sandoval and — finally — the murderer.  And the director’s close-ups emphasize facial stillness and meaning-filled eyes.

   The three leads are near perfection; all know the value of stillness in front of the camera. Villamil’s eyes are full of waiting for Esposito. His always seem to hold questions. And Sandoval’s mix the melancholia of the alcoholic with the reminder of a brilliant mind dying.  His sacrifice for friendship may be the film’s finest moment.

   This is a film rich in subplots, hints of political evil, scenes of human pathology both touching and horrifying. All are wrapped in Campanella’s mostly gorgeous camera work and given life by three superb actors. The movie is fascinating; the performances superb.  You’ll remember them.

   

 â€œThe Secret in Their Eyesâ€� is rated R for rape, murder and other brutalities.  The film is coming soon to The Moviehouse in Millerton, NY.

   It is in Spanish.

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