The Secret in Their Eyes
Burned into the celluloid around the halfway point of Argentinean masterpiece The Secret in Their Eyes is an adrenaline-fuelled sequence of astonishing impact. When a foot chase breaks out in a crowded soccer stadium, the camera suddenly becomes a living entity that follows the entire chase in a breathless single shot. Bursting through the cheering crowd and dashing down stairs, up stairs, into a bathroom, and around the concrete outskirts of the stadium, the sequence takes on an additional moment of brilliance when the camera actually follows the pursued character over a barrier and down onto the ground a whole story below. It then chases the character for one last sprint into the middle of the soccer field, before finally pausing to catch a breath.
Straddling two halves of a brilliant movie, this sequence is an absolute tour-de-force that should be endlessly studied for its ingenious audacity. But it isn't merely a flashy stunt in a foreign wasteland. It is the centre point of a gripping thriller and the booming representative of everything that comes before and after the chase. Like this sequence, The Secret in Their Eyes, in its glorious entirety, is brave, exciting, engaging, powerful, surprising, and utterly unforgettable. Both the movie itself and the specific sequence entice and excite as they barrel towards their careful conclusion.
The story begins in an unassuming manner. Recently retired criminal court investigator Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darin, perfect in the role) has decided to fill his suddenly empty hours by indulging his passion for writing. Struggling to find inspiration for a novel he's not sure he has in him, Esposito soon decides to write about the worst case he was ever involved with: a 25-year-old homicide in which a young woman was raped and murdered in her own apartment. At this point, the narrative dips back into the past so we can experience Esposito's quest for justice firsthand.
Still played by Darin (the subtle makeup work in this movie is a wonder), Esposito works alongside his alcoholic assistant Pablo Sandoval (arresting scene-stealer Guillermo Francella) and the radiant department chief Irene Hastings (Soledad Villamil) to solve the brutal murder of the young woman. What follows may sound like a strict cop drama on paper, but The Secret in Their Eyes is anything but easily classifiable. The plot does focus on the murder case for a good chunk of the movie, but the case itself is so uniquely character-driven that it always feels far outside the realm of recognizably recycled storytelling.
Esposito, Sandoval, and Hastings make a fascinating team and each character brings a powerful personality to the table. The three performers all have searing screen presences and the chemistry between them creates electrifying sparks. Each of them is expected to unleash a kaleidoscope of emotions and the various subplots that punctuate the narrative are all effectively enacted. Sandoval's relationship with alcohol and how it has increasingly damaged his relationship with his wife is particularly poignant in the way it deepens Sandoval's internal conflict without ever escaping into preachy sentimentality.
There is also a silent romance between Esposito and Hastings that simmers beneath the surface of their professional relationship. A love story with so few of the usual cinematic markers of love (the ones that are used are present in order to subvert the clichés) is an incredibly challenging thing to pull off, but Darin and Villamil fill the screen with heartfelt longing that feels entirely authentic. These subplots provide the movie with dramatic muscle that flexes throughout the story and pumps emotional blood through every frame. The subplots are merely a small piece of this hugely impressive puzzle, but nothing is left behind in this movie and such careful attention to character detail is one more reason The Secret in Their Eyes is so incredible.
Adding to the joy of this exquisite gem is its playful sense of humour. For a movie with such grim subject matter, many scenes (especially those in the first half) are bursting with hilarity. Amazingly, none of the jokes and gags are ever delivered at the price of realism or dramatic integrity. In fact, the comedy further humanizes the world and brings the onscreen events into harrowing focus. The world of this movie is so original and yet so enchantingly relatable, because writer-editor-director Juan José Campanella, adapting the story from a novel by Eduardo Sacheri, ensures that the narrative is always connected to the characters.
The story never abandons the people at its core and it never forgets the passions and principles of those trapped in this world. Campanella understands that the drama, action, romance, comedy, and horror will only pack a powerful punch if he can convince us that the characters are deciding their own fates, making their own decisions. Due to his dedication, The Secret in Their Eyes is a movie come fully to life, with Esposito, Sandoval, Hastings, and everyone else in the cast, from the victim's husband to the accused murderer, all moving through this moral wreck with eyes wide open. Campanella never lets the movie shrink from memory and he approaches the ending with the towering intention of maximum impact.
As I wrap up my thoughts, I cannot help but return to the aforementioned chase sequence. The movie is brilliant without the sequence and the sequence is brilliant without the movie, but they complement each other so perfectly that they elevate the finished film to a place of majestic magic. The narrative stretches far and wide on either end of the sequence, allowing the energy of the stunning chase to reverberate outwards in a 360 degree explosion. The sequence becomes a microcosm of the big picture. This is bravura filmmaking at its contemporary best, an unstoppable narrative force that hits every mark, engages every emotion, and leaves us reeling in the dark, desperate to share our seemingly newfound secret (that this is one of the very best movies in quite a while) with anyone who will listen.
