The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

Juan Jose Campanellella's sprawling drama is set across two time periods, focusing on a retired legal counsellor who we see in the opening scene writing a novel. It quickly becomes apparent that what he is writing is at the very least partly autobiographical; he is coining the novel hoping to find some sort of closure relating to an unsolved homicide twenty five years previously. The case that Esposito is writing about was investigated by himself, his alcoholic partner Pablo, and his law clerk boss, Irene, who he had fallen in love with. The film is set in the present day as Esposito visits Irene and asks her to read his work so far, and large chunks of the film are lengthy flashbacks to the case twenty five years previously. The film works very well with the audience allowed to unfurl the story at a pace that works superbly, and what could have been a bit of a mess structurally ends up adding real heart to the film. You care about all of the characters and want to see justice done, but this isn't your average time hopping thriller; there are twists and turns around a really melancholic atmosphere. There's no pulsing soundtrack and sudden realisation, the final sequence especially is a beautiful yet harrowing one that takes its time and sums up the film wonderfully. Don't get this mixed up with the pointless American remake, this Argentinian production surprised many by walking away with the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010. 7.9/10