two films in one, and rightfully awarded

Rating: 8/10 (27 June 2011)

A well deserved Oscar. As usual the foreign movie award is granted with less quid pro quo in mind, thus quality prevails. Juan Jose Campanella directed two films in one, as the duration and his own comments on the DVD edition corroborate.
A textured love story with very subtle hints and and a powerful mystery story. The acting is theatre quality for almost all cast, especially the protagonists Soledad Villamil (Irene) and Ricardo Darin (Esposito) with special mentions to Guillermo Francella (Sandoval) and Mario Alarcon (Juez Fortuna.) The movie thus falls into romance, mystery, drama category but the audacious enterprise bears fruit.
Eminently watchable, it feels like a miniseries with multiple flashbacks in the characters' previous moments. The atmosphere is carefully recreated, and the make-up artist is to be recommended. Remarkable is the love story between Irene and Esposito, always there yet never declared, in their eyes but not on their lips, deliciously postponed to the last frame. The drama has a very powerful ending and it surprises somehow.
The suspense is well maintained and the script is full with energizing wit of the subtle kind. It probably filled the Academy judges with a sense of elegant joy -and remorse for their awards for the some helicopter filled local productions. Read my other reviews at https://sites.google.com/site/dan4gabriel/home