'The Secret in Their Eyes' shows why the Left fears people like me

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2010)

The theater manager where I just saw this movie addressed the audience to admit he had hoped The White Ribbon had won the Oscar for best picture this year, but that he understood why this movie won instead. For me there is no question as to this movie having the more current relevance. Bravo to the Academy voters for voting bravely and well.
By its end you will have seen an act of seeming inhumanity that I could ascribe to, but I am sure most of my fellow Lefties would find unthinkable. I think my 'comrades' sense me capable of such acts and it scares them. But when the mere joy of decent, ethical behavior isn't enough to entice some to live within acceptable limits, then negative reinforcement is justifiably employed, in my opinion. The problem is, of course, being sure of having the ethical high ground and admittedly, that's no small thing.
In this movie there's little doubt the protagonist is a decent man. Benjamín Esposito is unable to let an old murder be forgot. And for good reason: the case's outcome was politically tampered with. In one of the most brilliant scenes I've ever seen, the antagonist's motivation is made crystal clear, so succinctly and efficiently, that I was taken aback for a moment. But the director and I are totally in accord in his opinion of what happened. What I worry about is that most of the audience won't get it.
In the theater I saw it, slides preceded the movie explaining that the murder took place before the government's going far to the Right in Argentina. If you don't have a clear understanding of what happened in the '70s in Argentina, you need to do some preparation. That's not going to be necessary for most Lefties who are quite aware of the Dirty War in which the US, never mentioned here, aided the government in committing atrocities.
This is a wonderful film carried elegantly along by its main leads, Soledad Villamil as Irene and Ricardo Darín as Benjamin, with the truly brilliant support of its many supporting actors. But in the end its a triumph of film-making for the director, Juan José Campanella, especially, who brings the story to life with consummate skill. He's created a truly pleasurable and memorable experience for people like me.