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Monday, 14 February 2011

Secret in Their Eyes
[El Secreto de Sus Ojos]
(2009)

RATING: 80%

Subtle and complex suspenser that takes the form of a retired man reassessing his life, which also becomes an assessment of the politics of his country. A solved but unpunished rape and murder reveals the corruption at the heart of the political situation here, along with the devastated lives made worse by a justice system unable to dispense much justice. And all of this is dramatically-related to the central character’s lost love.

Obviously, the timidity of a culture is matched by its populace and here the schizophrenia cries out for release. The rapist is a weakling and seeks solace in murder; while the more normal characters gaze at their desires and, like the criminal, are unable to find satisfaction or fulfillment - except in trivial passions like soccer or going to the pub.

The performances are faultless and the focus on the looks the actors give each other fully emphasizes the theme of living in the past, since they are only looking, not so much doing. The only caveat to all of the above is this film’s undue length.


Copyright © 2011 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved. Frank TALKER is also the author of Sweaty Socks: A Treatise on the Inevitability of Toe Jam in Hot Weather (East Cheam Press: Groper Books, 1997) and is University of Bullshit Professor Emeritus of Madeupology.

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