I first went to see the Oscar-winning “El Secreto De Sus Ojos” during its first release late last year. A few Argentine girlfriends and I escaped for a night out and settled into the giant, nostalgia-inducing - and unfortunately now closed - Cine Arrayanes in downtown Bariloche for a night at the show.

It was an engrossing film, one that transported me to somewhere far from Patagonia. Complex, beautifully-crafted, superbly acted, funny, sad, provocative and poignant, what more could one want from a film?

As we walked out of the cinema, my friend Mariana wondered if non-Argentines would ‘get’ the film, given that it’s so loaded with references to specific, difficult, and somewhat occult moments in the country’s recent past.

Of course, I watched the film with no subtitles, and while my castellano es muy avanzado, I put some effort into keeping up with the dialogue, and I probably missed a thing or two.

But she meant something else. And I wondered if maybe these are memories Argentines are not keen on sharing, moments they haven’t yet come to terms with themselves.

I’d say that the Oscar shows that the world did indeed get Juan Jose Campanella’s film. And they loved it. Those nuances may have been missed, but perhaps they weren’t so important.
Campanella, and his team, is loaded with talent. The futbol field scene alone is incredibly impressive. It’s a detailed, subtle window into two eras of Argentina.
Look, I’m no film critic. It’s a somewhat difficult film, with noir-style crimes and laments for the past. It’s difficult and a bit uncomfortable at times. There’s suspense until the end. And whilt things wrap up well, one leaves the cinema pondering.
The actor Ricardo Darin, the absolute best in the business (if you haven’t seen him in the lovely “El Hijo de la Novia” / “The Son of the Bride” then rush to your nearest Blockbuster) gives another superb performance. The “Tom Hanks” of Argentina, Darin’s a true master and a modern Argentina hero if there ever was one.

Anyways….

I watched “El Secreto de Tus Ojos” again just last week for the second time. Max had bought a copy of the DVD. So we settled on our couch and drifted off into the films’ multiple worlds. The time flew. Because we were at home, we could pause and discuss what was happening. Again, there were no subtitles (I’m currently translating an Argentine feature film, so I didn’t want to see any subtitles, or it’d feel too much like work).

The second time around I picked up on more of the nuances and subtleties, and could give more energy to simply enjoying the cinematography.

To say that it is a big deal here that the film won “Best Foreign Film” at the Oscars is an understatement.

I personally hooped and hollared from a tiny wine lodge in the Uco Valley when the announcement was made. It wasn’t the reaction I’d given Sid the Kid’s overtime goal a few weeks ago, but it was a mighty fine moment.

Friends from around the world wrote to congratulate ‘us’ on the Oscar. Anybody who loves Argentina was proud.

So, folks, get out there and see this film. Then, like me, I suggest you see it again.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 5:29 pm and is filed under Argentine culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.