A well-made and involving mystery flick.

Rating: 8/10 (22 September 2010)

"If that's what happened...why didn't you take me with you?"
The Secret in Their Eyes is a thoughtful, layered mystery/drama from Argentina. The story is split between two time periods: the investigation by the three main characters of the rape and murder of a young woman in 1974, and the reunion of two of those characters in 1999. Benjamin (Ricardo Darin) is writing a novel about the 25 year-old case that ended with an unfavorable outcome , and in the course of recounting what happened, we learn about the past events and the rather complicated past that Benjamin had with his superior, Irena (Soledad Villamil).
What makes the movie so interesting is the relationships between the characters. Ricardo Darin, Guillermo Francella, and Soledad Villamil are all wonderful in their roles, and the camaraderie the two men and the chemistry between Darin and Francella makes what happens to the characters feel very involving and real.
This really is a movie that has a little something for everyone. The unfolding mystery of what happened 25 years ago and the events that are revealed in 1999 are interesting and ultimately satisfying, and so is the understated relationship between the male and female leads. It's hard to imagine anyone not liking this, unless they just have a negative opinion of subtitles.