The past can turn into something so scandalous, so obscure that makes it difficult to forget, in "The Secret in their Eyes." This drama filled movie is a blend of mytery, and violence, along with tinge of comedy marked in some points in the film to create a better perspective. And what's a dramatic movie without a forbidden love story?
This film takes place in present day Argentina, with occasional fashbacks to the 1970's where a former ivenstigator, Benjamin Ricardo Darin can't forget a specific case that treated with the rape and murder of a woman. Even if he had never met her, the memory of her corpse haunts his dreams. Her case was never solved, with the culprit still at bay. Years later, Benjamin decided to a write a story on this specific case, which also reunites him with his former colleague, Irene. This takes him back along the road of unforgotten memories tinged with regret of never being able to solve this case which had also taken great effect on hisown life.
The lighting in this film is really quite extraordinary, wrapping main characters, like Irene or Benjamin, with a more solemn or subdued style, in order to reflect their moods, or the loss and regret they both feel. There are also many low light, sort of shadowy, foggy scenes that give a pretense of the mystery itself in the film. Even the clothes the charaters are made to wear, are very well chosen to reflect of this style of lighting.
Music in this movie, can bring tears to your eyes, or make you laugh, depending on what it's set out to do. It also wraps many scenes with its own unique melody, bringing you to share a scene's mood on a more personal basis.
Overall, this movie can easily meat anyone's standard of a good dramatic film. I think it definately deserved to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2009.
