David Farnor | On 26, Jan 2014

Director: Juan Jose Campanella
Cast: Ricardo Darin, Pablo Rago, Guillermo Francella, Soledad Villami, Javier Godino
Certificate: 18
Watch online: Netflix UK / TalkTalk TV / iTunes

Every weekend during the 2014 awards season, we look back at past award winners and where you can watch them online. Today, it’s 2010 Best Foreign Language Film The Secret in Their Eyes.

The Secret in their Eyes first attracted attention in 2010 when it stole the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar from under the noses of The White Ribbon and Un Prophete. At that point, the world sat up and paid attention. Once Juan Jose Campanella’s Argentinian detective story starts playing, they won’t stop.

Benjamin Esposito (Darin) is a federal justice agent, who becomes fixated on the brutal rape and murder of a young woman. He vows to her husband, Ricardo Morales (Rago), that he will find the killer, working with his partner, Pablo (Francella). The investigation soon takes over Esposito’s life.

His existence is further disrupted by the arrival of Irene (Villami), his beautiful and intelligent new boss. He swiftly falls in love with her, his devotion divided between the elusive culprit and the untouchable woman. Telling the story in flashback, Campanella shows the crime from the perspective of an older Irene and Benjamin, both sporting greying wigs and wrinkles. Taking things at a Zodiac pace, The Secret in their Eyes unfolds slowly, focussed on the gathering of evidence, the red tape of the law, and the relationships between its enforcers.

Acting their socks off both in prosthetics and out, Campanella’s cast bring a realistic edge to events: Darin’s dogged lead is suitably weary after years of thorough work; Villami adds genuine sex appeal to the class-divided romance; and Francella offers wry humour as Esposito’s alcoholic colleague. Together, the men look much like Hans Gruber and Penfold, if the two were ever to cross paths in a Buenos Aires bar.

Their search climaxes with a standout set piece – a spectacular sweep over a football stadium, crossing the pitch mid-play and into the heaving stands of spectators. Fluidly edited by the director, the shot segues seamlessly into a close-up of Esposito and Pablo looking for their target. It’s a riveting spectacle, a set piece as thrilling as anything by Hitchcock. Then, just minutes later, the tension is topped by a masterful moment, where three people simply stand silently in a lift.

Campanella’s camera-work is beautiful, foregrounding the surroundings with an elegant pulling of focus; from the objects in Esposito’s flat, to an unseen man in the crowd, he adds insight and depth to the frame. Like Javier Godino’s turn as the twisted villain or Rago’s mourning Morales, it’s a technique that’s both subtle and effective.

The only letdown comes from the screenplay, which has a steady pace but a wobbly final act. But the unexpected anti-climax matches the theme of Eduardo Sacheri’s source novel, which the author helped to adapt. An exploration of loss and grief, it’s a nuanced conclusion, which offers closure for characters struggling to find retribution in a flawed justice system.

For all its false hairpieces, The Secret in their Eyes is 11,650 feet of genuinely gripping celluloid. Long-winded, methodical, and completely absorbing.

The Secret in Their Eyes is available to watch online on Netflix UK for a monthly subscription of £5.99, with the first 30 days free.

Watch or rent The Secret in Their Eyes online on pay-per-view VOD

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