The Secret in Their Eyes

(“El secreto de sus ojos”)

With The Secret in their Eyes, Argentinean writer-director-editor Juan José Campanella has created a multi-layered and poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a state prosecution investigator and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years.

Five Reasons to See The Secret in Their Eyes

1. It’s the 2010 Academy Award-winning Best Foreign Language Film. The entry from Argentina beat out both A Prophet (France/Italy) and The White Ribbon (Austria/Germany) for this year’s gold statuette. (It should also be noted that Secret won 13 Argentinian Academy Awards and was nominated for another 4.)

2. Talented director and writer Juan José Campanella had a previous film also nominated for an Academy Award, the delightful Son of the Bride. In addition to a half other feature length films he’s directed many U.S. television series including: Law & Order: SVU, House, and 30 Rock. The Buenos Aires native is considered to be one of Argentina’s most renowned directors. One of this films’ highlights is a set piece/chase through a huge Soccer Stadium

3. The acting by a top-notch cast is exemplary. (The cast ages 25 years during the course of the film and both the acting and the makeup make that entirely believable. Although the film is heavy on drama there is a deft sense of humor throughout much of it.)

4. Complex character and politically driven plots are your idea of manna from heaven.

5. You also love the big surprise or twist, especially when you’re expecting it to be something else.

Five Reasons You Might Not Want to See The Secret in Their Eyes

1. That you’ll have a disheartening feeling (like the one I had) that it doesn’t match up to either A Prophet or The White Ribbon. You’ll be disappointed even if you think it’s a good film. So that’s not a reason not to see it, but a reason you might not want to see it. If avoiding disappointment is important to you, avoid this film.

2. If episodic TV is not your thing . . . this seemingly extended Law & Order episode is more than 2 and ½ times longer than a single Law & Order. Lisa Schwarzbaum says it best in Entertainment Weekly: “Listen closely and you can almost hear the reassuring chung-CHUNG that marks the influence of the many episodes of Law & Order on the director’s resume. Organized in a vague approximation of a three-episode L&O marathon, scenes regularly fade to black, then pick up elsewhere. All that’s missing are title cards with Argentinian addresses to map the progress as secrets are revealed before our eyes.”

3. Acting can only take you so far watching a film.

4. Complex character and politically driven plots (especially when the politics are of another country that you’re not totally familiar with) aren’t your idea of something you want to spend your hard earned money on.

5. Although there’s more than one surprise or twist…the big one is ho-hum and unbelievable (to this viewer). The New York Post reviewer found it “shocking.” Go figure.

                                             Jim Baldassare