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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Watching movies on a continuous basis can sometimes leave you feeling a little numb, yet every once in a while something extraordinary like The Secret in Their Eyes comes along and reminds you why you love the art form.

The 2010 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, The Secret in Their Eyes begins in 1999 with retired Argentinean justice agent Benjamín Esposito (Ricardo Darín) trying to finish his novel about a rape and murder case that still haunts him.

Twenty-five years earlier, a young woman is found dead and there are no immediate suspects. When Benjamín meets her stunned husband, Ricardo Morales (Pablo Rago) he is overwhelmed by the love he sees in his eyes. This spurs him forward to solve the case by any means necessary.

With the help of his alcoholic assistant Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella) and newly arrived justice department chief Irene Menéndez Hastings (Soledad Villamil), who he instantly falls in love with, Benjamín is able to track down an elusive suspect, Isidoro Gómez (Javier Godino).

Justice in an era of dictatorship eludes Benjamín and by 1999 the middle-aged retiree doesn't like what he sees in the mirror. He still pines for the woman he thought he could never have and is desperate to find closure to a case that threatens to plague his soul for eternity.

Based upon the novel by Eduardo Sacheri and brilliantly adapted for the screen by director Juan José Campanella, The Secret in Their Eyes has a script that Shakespeare could be proud of. It's smart, crisp and above all, passionate. The emotions it generates are palpable.

Campanella, who has helmed several American television shows including Law & Order: SVU, maintains an excellent sense of pacing throughout the film's running time. He also gets tremendous efforts from a cast whose chemistry with each other is boundless. Rare is it that two lead actors such as Darín and Villamil can say so much without saying anything.

The Secret in Their Eyes may be one of the best films you will see this year.

On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, The Secret in Their Eyes receives an A.
    
The Secret in Their Eyes is rated R and has a running time of 127 minutes.

Now showing through June 3 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for show times.

Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf, Overland Park
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.