The Secret in Their Eyes

A surprise Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Argentinean director Juan José Campanella's thriller revolving around unrequited love is based on Eduardo Sacheri's titular police procedural novel. The story begins in 1999 with retired criminal court investigator Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darín) reopening a long-abandoned rape-murder case as a pretext to reconnect with the person he worked for and silently loved, Irene Menéndez-Hastings (Soledad Villamil), who subsequently went on to become a powerful judge. Interspersed throughout are flashbacks to the 1970s, when Argentina was descending from an elected government into a military dictatorship, a time when the victim, a beautiful married woman, was brutally raped and killed. Esposito saw her violated, naked body on her deathbed and witnessed the devotion of her husband (Pablo Rago). Back then, Esposito, Menéndez-Hastings, and heavy-drinking colleague Sandoval (Guillermo Francella) tried in vain to circumnavigate the corrupt, bureaucratic judicial system to convict the perpetrator. But the killer went free and became an agent of Argentina's repressive secret police, placing Esposito in great jeopardy. Now, the trio may be able to crack the cold case, find the culprit, and coerce him to confess. Engrossing and often surprising, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with director Juan José Campanella, a casting featurette (11 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for this Oscar-winning film.] (S. Granger)