A film that defies genre

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2010)

Murder mystery, love story, comedy, action, thriller, political drama. This Oscar winner for best foreign language film seamlessly combines all of these elements without disjointing the grim narrative.
Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darin, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Bob Dylan), is a retired criminal investigator, who battles inertia by writing about the Morales case, a ghastly unresolved case of rape and murder of a young bride he was assigned to 25 years ago.
Set against the backdrop of a corrupt 1970s Argentina, Esposito decides whilst writing his book to revisit the case â€“ and in the process, Irene (Soledad Villamil), his superior from the period, whom he has always harboured feelings for. Told sporadically in flash back, Esposito is aided on his quest to uncover the truth by Pablo (real life comedian Guillermo Francella).
The 'their' in the film's title could refer to just about any of the main characters. Whether it's Esposito and Irene who cravenly conceal their love for each other, or the suspect whose eyes implicate him, or even the widower who is suspiciously unperturbed by his wife's death. Writer-director Juan Jose Campanella guards all the secrets and doesn't reveal anything until the denouement.
I remember seeing Darin many years ago in a superb film about con artists called 'Nine Queens'. In that film he was a tour de force. Here his performance is reserved to the point of indifference. Plus he's much too groomed â€“ particularly in old age â€“ to be the wizened investigator he should be.
However, the badinage between him and Pablo more than makes up for any splinters in his performance. It's as witty as any Woody Allen screenplay. There's a chase scene which takes place in a football stadium which, put simply, is one of the most fascinating scenes cinema has offered in my lifetime.
A word of caution. There's a reason why this film is certified for persons aged 18 and above. Expect full-frontal nudity (male and female), an explicit rape scene and perennial profanity.
As I took my seat in the refurbished Midlands Art Centre (MAC) in Birmingham to watch this film, a jovial usher whispered, 'You'll love this film'. He was right. Trust me. Trust that usher. Trust the MAC audience. This is one you won't want to miss.
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