The Secret In Their Eyes is another film that, like Cell 211, anchors its characters as immutable and already fully-formed, despite following them and their evolution over 25 years. The movie deals with the involvement of Esposito (Darín), Sandoval (Francella), and Hastings (Villamil) in the case surrounding Liliana Coloto's rape and murder by Isidoro Gómez (Godino). Esposito wants to write a book on the case 25 years later and decides to revisit Hastings to reminisce and perhaps even attempt to rekindle an old flame. Neither of them have quite forgotten the case and what it did to them; it lingers with them almost daily. However, the case is not quite as closed as they believe it to be.
The performances are excellent, filling out well-developed characters with sympathy and tenderness. The plot is above average, though not nearly as compelling as I was hoping for coming in. (I did have pretty high expectations though, for some reason.) The cinematography and editing were more than competent, but neither were all that memorable. The overall direction of the film, especially the use of flashbacks to hold the tension between the mysterious past and the uncertain present, was truly an impressive feat to watch. However, something about this film just didn't feel right to me. It didn't hit me on an emotional level for some reason; everything was too calculated. The director precisely progressed the plot to make me think and feel a certain way. It didn't feel natural. Despite my hangups, I thought this movie was an excellent crime thriller and I highly recommend it.
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305806/