Wednesday began with a look at Argentina’s submission for this year’s Oscars, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (El secreto de sus ojos). Courtesy once again of our emcee, R-to-tha-Koehl, we learn that the director of this film, Juan Jose Campanella, has actually directed several episodes of Law & Order, and that this informs his film a bit, though it gets deeper emotionally, and has more violence. Bob says this is like the sort of movie Hollywood used to make, but doesn’t any more. After seeing it, I get what he’s saying in that the romance element is very old-fashioned in a way…but the violent crime aspect is totally modern. Though most of the movie takes place in the ‘70s.
Basically, it’s about…well…I seem to have misplaced the friggin’ press notes, so in my own inimitable style I will try to sum the whole thing up from memory. Beardy Guy who used to work in the DA’s office is writing a novel about his memories of that time, and he reconnects with the current DA, a Hot Chick he used to work with there but is now middle-aged and promoted (as signified by a bad hairdo and glasses). He wants her to critique his manuscript, and they end up remembering all the stuff that happened years ago surrounding an unsolved crime. Beardy Guy back then was partnered with Drunk Dude, who often said or did stupid stuff that would blow their cover, but was generally a good friend apart from that.
The crime was a woman who got beaten to death, and nobody could figure out by whom, even her husband. Beardy Guy looks in a few old photo albums, however, and sees that in more than one picture, there’s a Creepy Fuck who’s always staring at the dead woman. So the rest of the story is about trying to catch Creepy Fuck, but complications ensue, and of course Creepy Fuck may or may not be a red herring. Meanwhile, Hot Chick is engaged to be married, and Beardy Guy is jealous because he very subtly loves her too. I don’t wanna spoil the plot of the crime stuff, but it ultimately does involve Beardy Guy having to leave town, and leave the Hot Chick behind. Obviously, or he wouldn’t be coming back, as seen in the framing moments.
If this weren’t in Spanish, and had famous people in it, it’d be totally commercial here. I smell future remake. The crime stuff is compelling and suspenseful, and the dynamic between Beardy Guy and Drunk Dude is funny and touching. The way it ends feels like a weird attempt to imitate the climax of every SAW sequel, and that feels a little out of place…but the dynamic between the Guy and the Chick is underplayed sort of like in an old Humphrey Bogart movie. There’s no sex (naked dead girl covered in bruises doesn’t count – nothing appealing about that, but man, what a realistic-looking corpse), but there is violence, some of it gory, and gratuitous overuse of aging makeup.
This won’t win an Oscar. But if you like thrillers that have romantic elements, you should see it, definitely.
