Saw The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) Sunday with a friend. We both thought it was excellent. This is a slightly over 2 hour film from Argentina (which has been producing excellent films for quite some time, a superb example is The Son of the Bride which you can catch hopefully on Netflix) in Spanish with subtitles. It will be released on DVD within the month. It's the best film I've seen so far this year.

It follows Benjamin Esposito who has recently retired from the criminal court system. He wants to become a writer. His experiences starting in 1974 working as an investigator at the time of a brutal military dictatorship would make an extraordinary novel.

In 1974, a new lead investigator, a young woman from an upper class Argentinian family with a law degree from Cornell comes to lead his investigation team. Their first case is a brutal rape and murder of a lovely young school teacher married to a devoted and loving husband who works in a bank named Ricardo Morales. Their hack boss arrests two construction workers who were working across the street at the time and declares the case closed. However, Esposito and his female team leader pursue the case anyway along with Esposito's funny and charming but hopeless alcoholic clerk.

This leads to murder, cover-up and considerable intrigue. Meanwhile Esposito quietly falls in love with his married team leader.

There are many twists, turns and surprises in this film. At the end, my friend and I spent sometime discussing the film, trying to figure it out who was the true rapist/murderer and which ending (also beginning) was real and which was from Esposito's novel.

Superbly acted, superbly set, and excellent (classical) musical score. Absolutely do NOT miss this one!