The Secret in Their Eyes
Composite Score: 83.33
Starring: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Carla Quevedo, Javier Godino, Mario Alarcón, Guillermo Francella, and Mariano Argento
Director: Juan José Campanella
Writers: Eduardo Sacheri and Juan José Campanella
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for a rape scene, violent images, some graphic nudity, and language
Box Office: $35.08 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Secret in Their Eyes is the award-winning film adaptation of Eduardo Sacheri’s novel The Question in Their Eyes. The Argentinian film follows the story of Benjamin Esposito, a retired legal counselor who is attempting to write a novel based on an unresolved case from twenty-five years ago, forcing him to revisit old colleagues and associates and dig up unresolved romances and traumas as well. The film won the Oscar for best foreign language film (rightfully so) and is heralded for its phenomenal nonlinear story that grips audiences and takes them along for a thrilling ride.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
The case at the center of The Secret in Their Eyes is a murder/rape case that was solved but the perpetrator allowed to go free due to changes in the Argentinian government practices. Its themes can be very heavy and it contains a brief scene that depicts the crime and its aftermath that can be quite jarring for unprepared viewers or even triggering for anyone who has suffered similar assaults or been close to victims of sexual crimes. This is not a film that you approach lightly, as it requires plenty of processing, and I don’t recommend it for just any old audience. Is it an excellent film? Yes! Is it one of the more difficult films I have watched in the last year? Also, yes.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
If you are in a good headspace to engage with it, The Secret in Their Eyes is an excellent crime thriller, exhibiting so much of what makes the genre great. It refuses to simply be a mystery or even a commentary on incel culture (as it easily could be). Instead, the film’s story dives deeper, offering romance and an exploration of memory and justice and class inequality in the midst of a thrilling mystery story that does have plenty to say about toxic male entitlement culture. The depth of the film’s impact depends greatly on how much you want to dwell on it, but there’s plenty here to keep you pondering for a good couple of days after watching it, a solid example of what great thrillers are capable of.
Carrying the film’s many messages and themes are the performances of its main characters. Javier Godino’s Gómez is the ideal villain for this story, never appearing overly competent or capable but still coming across as uncomfortably menacing, in similar fashion to other great crime thriller villains like Kevin Spacey’s John Doe or Ted Levine’s Buffalo Bill. Guillermo Francella’s Pablo Sandoval is the ideal sidekick character, with plenty of depth and development to accentuate the film’s leading performers. Pablo Rago provides much of the film’s emotional weight as Ricardo Morales, the bereft husband of Liliana Colotto, whose passionate love for his deceased wife draws Esposito back to the case time and again well after it has been closed. Soledad Villamil plays a more complicated love interest than you might typically expect in a film whose romance plot takes third or fourth place in terms of importance. Her performance as Counselor Irene Menéndez Hastings consistently holds its own with every other character on screen, making you understand Esposito’s love while proving her own agency at every turn. Finally, Ricardo Darín’s Esposito does exactly what he has to as the film’s lead, providing romantic chemistry with Irene, compelling interest in Liliana’s case, friendship to Sandoval, and an emotional depth at every turn that keeps the audience hooked for the film’s entirety.
A combination of stellar performances and a deep story in terms of emotion and content helped win The Secret in Their Eyes an Oscar in the same way that they continue to keep it steady in people’s minds, worthy of a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. Its intensity and occasionally disturbing content might should keep some viewers away, but those who feel up to the challenge will find themselves with a new film to put on their favorites list after they watch it. This film is currently available to stream via DirecTV or to rent on most other streaming services if you’re interested. Check it out.
