The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

Original title

El secreto de sus ojos

Directed by

Juan J. Campanella

Genre

drama film, romance film, crime film, thriller film, melodrama, detective film

Country

Argentina, Spain

Runtime

2h 09m

Rated

R

Rating

8.0 of 10 from 2,892 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 1970s Argentina, a retired legal agent decides to write a novel about a brutal murder case he worked on decades earlier. The investigation continues to haunt him and his former colleague as they confront unfinished business and lingering emotions.

melancholictenseslow-burncerebraldarkly romanticnostalgicunsettlingvisually lush

What happens

The Secret in Their Eyes (Spanish: El secreto de sus ojos) is a 2009 crime drama film produced, edited, and directed by Juan José Campanella from a screenplay by Campanella and Eduardo Sacheri, and based on Sacheri's 2005 novel La pregunta de sus ojos. It stars Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Javier Godino, and Guillermo Francella. The film, which is an Argentine co-production with Spain, focuses on the relationship between judiciary agents Benjamín Espósito (Darín) and Irene Hastings (Villamil) and their investigation into a murder case in 1970s Argentina. The film marks the fourth feature-length collaboration between Campanella and Darín, after Same Love, Same Rain (1999), Son of the Bride (2001), and Moon of Avellaneda (2004). It uses a nonlinear narrative and explores the strenuous political and social climate in Argentina throughout the later 20th century. The film is acclaimed for its feature of a continuous five-minute-long shot that runs through a large stadium in which a football match was being held. The Secret in Their Eyes was theatrically released in Argentina on August 13, 2009, with a North American premiere held on September 12, 2009, at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. It received critical acclaim for its screenplay, thematic content, Campanella's direction, and the performances of the cast. The film grossed over $34 million worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing Argentine film ever, behind Nazareno Cruz and the Wolf (1975). It received numerous awards and nominations, winning for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards and for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film at the 24th Goya Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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