How to distinguish between the best director and the best film is a question of free heart. Because it is too difficult to distinguish, these two awards are often superimposed. The best director award is generally awarded the best film award. 's director. The story pattern of "The Secret in Their Eyes" is not very big. Although it also silently implied the existence of corruption in Argentine society in the 1970s, as well as the reasonable scale of crime and punishment, but in general, love is still The main axis of the whole film, so whether it can be called the best film of the year, it is difficult to judge fairly, but the director's camera movement skills and storytelling techniques are comprehensive and meticulous, every detail is cut to the end, and the foreshadowing is buried along the way, which shows that The level of his intentions is definitely a world-class director.
"The Secret in Their Eyes" is a film that is difficult to express in words, because the film is extremely delicate, and the two narrative lines of reality and memory that go hand in hand are intertwined and echo each other, and a lot of foreshadowing is buried between the front and rear of the film. , In the process of the director's narration, they jumped out one after another to set off each other. However, the director's skill is undoubtedly revealed here, such a dense arrangement of details, but there is no feeling of breaking or jumping at all. The whole film moves forward with a very smooth and smooth rhythm, as if it is just telling a simple and obvious story, just like A medium-thick rope looks ordinary, but it is actually interwoven with several strands of fine cotton threads, and each strand of thin cotton threads is woven from a large number of cotton fibers. Isn't a rope so delicate that you can't feel the fibers inside, a good rope?
"The Secret in Their Eyes" tells the story of a retired deputy court clerk who, after leaving for 25 years, decides to return to the place where he used to work and live, writes a novel that affects his life, and tries to make up for it Broken lost happiness. Benjamin Esposito, with gray hair and glasses, tried to write the beginning of the novel in his notebook, but the fragments of the past were clear but elusive. Looking back at everything in the past, Benjamin couldn't sleep at night, he sat up from the bed and wrote his inner words on the small note by the head of the bed: I am afraid.
With a notebook full of pages, Benjamin walks into the District Attorney's Office to visit his old boss, Erin, for advice on the novel's content. Erin had not seen Benjamin for twenty-five years, and when she knew that Benjamin wanted to write the Lianna case as a novel, she stared at Benjamin silently for a while. But she eventually got up and gave Benjamin a typewriter that had also been sealed for twenty-five years, otherwise she would not have been able to offer advice on Benjamin's novels through the scribbled handwriting. The typewriter was originally used by Benjamin when he was still working under Erin, because the A key was broken, so it was put away. For Benjamin who said that he couldn't write the opening part smoothly, Erin's suggestion to him is to write down the first picture that comes into his mind, no matter what the content is, otherwise you will never be able to finish the novel.
What Erin said was right, but what she didn't know was that whenever Benjamin recalled this past event, the first thing that entered his mind was always the picture that Erin first appeared in front of his eyes. At that time, Erin was young and beautiful, with long straight hair and a shawl. Under the guidance of the judge, she came to Benjamin in a bright sunshine. She had just returned from studying in the United States and had a law degree. She was about to become Benjamin's immediate supervisor. . After Erin came, their group was assigned to a rape and murder case. No one wanted to take such a hard case, but the judge's order could not be refuted. So Benjamin came to the scene of the crime with all kinds of reluctance. As soon as he stepped into the room where the corpse was placed, Benjamin lost his senses. He saw a young and beautiful woman lying naked on the floor beside the bed, covered with scars and blood. The scene was so sad that Benjamin couldn't take his eyes off the woman at all.
Another secretary, Romano, informed Benjamin that he helped him solve Lianna's case by two workers who were working nearby. Benjamin didn't believe it, because he could see from Lianna's dead eyes that the murderer must be someone she knew. Therefore, Benjamin immediately rushed to the prison to talk to the two workers, but he knew what was going on before he opened his mouth. Benjamin stormed back to the office angrily, picked Romano out of a crowd in the aisle, accused him of torture of two workers, and fabricated evidence. Later this incident resulted in Romano being punished.
Benjamin visits Morales, the husband of the deceased Liana. In the albums of books, Benjamin found that the figure of a strange man appeared repeatedly. In the photo, the man's eyes always followed Lianna. Morales didn't know the man, but found the man's name, Gomes, on the edge of the photo. Morales asked Benjamin what the punishment would be if the murderer was caught. Benjamin said that rape and murder will definitely be sentenced to life imprisonment, and it is a pity that Argentina does not have the death penalty. Morales did not want the murderer to be sentenced to death, because the murderer would not be brutally murdered after being raped, but ended his life cleanly with a poison needle. No, he would rather the murderer accept a life sentence and spend the rest of his life with nothing.
Erin sat in the cafe, looking at the draft of Benjamin's novel so far. Benjamin explained to her that when he saw Gomez in the photo, he believed the man was involved because of the eyes, the eyes that always told secrets. Erin asked when Benjamin returned to Buenos Aires? He came back in 1985, but never had the courage to see Erin. Until now, he decided to look back.
After his wife's death, Morales couldn't sit still and do nothing. He took the initiative to call Gomes' mother and pretended to offer him a job opportunity to find out his whereabouts. Although Gomez's mother did not know where her son was, judging from the letters sent, he went to Buenos Aires a while ago to work on a construction site. Morales then asked if her son knew Liana, pretending it was Liana who recommended Gomes to him. After the other party gave a positive answer, Morales hurriedly hung up the phone, because the mention of his wife's name made him cry. When Benjamin found the site where Gomes worked, he didn't show up without a salary.
Sandoval was Benjamin's colleague, both in the same position, working under Erin. Sandoval was Benjamin's best friend, but he was alcoholic and separated from his wife. Every time Sandoval got drunk, Benjamin sent him home, and when his wife refused to open the door, he let him sleep in his house. The judge asked Benjamin to close Lianna's case, because there was no evidence to continue the case, and it would be ridiculous to judge Gomes' involvement by eyes alone. As a result, Benjamin and Sandoval ran to Gomes' mother's home together, broke in and stole the letter from Gomes. And this incident finally came to light, and the judge was furious. The two of them not only violated his order, but also invaded other judges' jurisdictions to handle cases.
Afterwards, Benjamin and Sanduval studied letters Gomes sent to his mother while awaiting punishment from their superiors. In addition to the news of constantly changing work, there are a bunch of unknown names, and there is no useful clue at all. A week later, Erin called Benjamin into the office and told him that, after her communication efforts and her "unstoppable charming smile," the judge decided to let him go, but he had to file Lianna's case immediately. Benjamin looked at Erin in amazement and asked why he had not seen this "irresistibly charming smile"? Erin says this is only for her boyfriend.
During the meeting between Erin and Benjamin, in addition to discussing the draft of the novel, they also looked at past photos together and recalled various interesting things between colleagues in the past. In the photo, Benjamin's eyes, which are mixed among a group of people, are always towards Erin. When Erin asked when a colleague in the photo left the courtroom, Benjamin said with certainty that it was a week after the photo was taken, since Erin got engaged to an engineer at that time. After a while, Erin took off her glasses, looked up at Benjamin, and told him not to show her the draft of the novel again, she was different from Benjamin, she had no money to look back, she had a job, a husband and children , she can only look forward.
Benjamin met Morales again a year after the case. When Benjamin came out of the train station, he saw Morales sitting in the waiting room. Over the past year, Moralas has been waiting at different stations every day after get off work. He believes that although Gomes has escaped from the city, he will always come back. If he does, he will take the train. When Morales asked Benjamin they were still working on the case, Benjamin couldn't say a word. Afterwards, Benjamin told Sanduval that he felt Morales was stuck in that moment after his wife's death. Benjamin then went into Erin's office, told her about Morales, and begged her to reopen the case.
Sanduval took out the letter Gomes wrote to his mother and studied it. He found that the unfamiliar names in the letter were actually the names of an Argentine football team player. Obviously Gomes is a crazy football fan. Sanduval said, you can change your address, you can change your job, but you can't change your hobbies and habits. Just like Erin was engaged to someone else, and Benjamin still looked at her with loving eyes. So the two went to the football stadium to search for it, and I believe Gomes will definitely show up in it. But this is a stadium that can accommodate tens of thousands of spectators! After a long search, the two finally found the needle in the sea, and after a frantic chase, they caught Gomes.
Benjamin planned to use the old-fashioned interrogation method of black face and white face to force Gomes to confess, but at a critical time, he could not find Sanduval as a partner. Erin was trying to persuade Benjamin to stop thinking about it, she didn't believe that the old-fashioned way would work, and that the trial was not legal without a lawyer or judge present. However, when Erin saw Gomes staring at her low neckline, she changed her mind, stood up, played blackface, and said in a sarcastic tone that a useless man like Gomes, no Lianna might have taken a fancy to her, but she didn't have the ability to commit such a powerful case of rape and murder. As a result, Gomes actually took the bait, excitedly saying that he not only had the ability, but also described how the process was carried out.
Erin called Benjamin and asked him to show her the draft anyway when the novel was finished, though she didn't explain why.
Gomes wasn't locked up for long. Romano, the clerk who tortured the two workers and fabricated evidence, had Gomes freed as a government agent specializing in monitoring rebels. When Benjamin and Erin found out about the Romano theory, he bluntly admitted that it was in revenge for Benjamin's complaint about his actions at the time, and pointed out that although Erin had a high degree of education, in Argentine society, they played unspoken rules. , As for Benjamin, he was so old that he didn't even have a high school degree, so he still wanted to be with Erin. When Benjamin and Erin twisted their faces, left Romano's office and stepped into the elevator, a figure flashed in time, it was Gomez. He faced the elevator door and turned his back to Benjamin and Erin. As the elevator slowly descended, he took out the pistol in his jacket, loaded it, pulled the safety lock, and then when the elevator reached the first floor and opened the door, he held the gun arrogantly. went out.
Benjamin explained everything to Morales, and as Romano said, there was nothing they could do about Gomes. Morales was very angry at first, but then he was right. He told Benjamin that he was grateful for everything he had done. Without Benjamin, he would not be able to get through these things. In any case, he owed Benjamin a favor. What can Benjamin say?
Since going to Romano, Benjamin has always avoided Erin. Finally, Erin blocked Benjamin on the corridor, and said bluntly that if he had an opinion about her marrying someone else, he could say it, and even said without hint that the two should make an appointment to meet in the evening. After hesitating for a long time, Erin decided the time. As for the meeting place proposed by Benjamin, Erin had some opinions and suggested another coffee shop. Benjamin immediately apologized for the location that was not on the table in shame, and Erin explained readily that the location he proposed was just too close to the courthouse.
Before Benjamin went to the appointment, he received a call from the bar person saying that Sanduval was drunk and was causing trouble. Benjamin rushed over immediately and took Sandoval to his home, but couldn't resist Sandoval's pleas and drove to take his wife to his home. Benjamin struggled to get Sandoval's wife to agree to take his car to see Sandoval, but before the car stopped, Benjamin found that the lock on his house was broken. After entering the door, he saw that the picture frame on the cabinet with his photo was pushed down, and then he saw Sandoval's body covered in blood and shot several times, lying on his bed.
Erin takes Benjamin to the station for a ride. Relying on her father's relationship, Erin Benjamin found a job in a remote place. Sanduval's death is not a single event, it must be the hand of Gomes, and it will be very dangerous for Benjamin to stay here. Benjamin didn't want to leave, he grabbed Erin's hand and said his life, his everything was here, but when he said "we..." Erin interrupted him with tears. Erin says there is no "we" here. This sentence made Benjamin's heart sink to the bottom. He wanted to hug Erin and kiss her affectionately, but the two were just close to each other, and Benjamin still didn't have the courage. He finally boarded the train. When the whistle sounded and the train started slowly, Erin on the platform jumped to the window, stretched out her hand, and pressed her hand against the window glass. Benjamin also stretched out his hand. lean together. The train started, and Benjamin rushed to the end of the train in a panic. Through the door frame, he watched Erin chasing further and further away.
Erin put down the draft of the novel, crossed her hands on her chest, and said that the novel was illusory and did not need to be taken too seriously. Benjamin is confused, is his novel not true enough? Erin picked up the draft and said that this paragraph is about sticking her fingers close together, as if the two are one, and then chasing the man in her life behind the train? Still confused, Benjamin asked her if it wasn't true? Erin squinted, stared at Benjamin, and asked him in a low voice, if this is true, then why didn't you take me away? Benjamin bowed his head for the countless times. Erin went to the sofa and sat down, changing the subject and asking how the story ended? Benjamin said he came back after 10 years of counting camels in the mountains to find out that he was married, had children, and was a district attorney. Erin went on to say, why didn't you mention that you married a beautiful and rich woman? Benjamin was married and divorced. But he always loved Erin. He told Erin that he tried to persuade himself to give up. It was the fate of his previous life, and he had followed the wind, but he couldn't deceive himself. This was his life. Should be missed.
Benjamin went to the household registration office to find Morales' address. After Benjamin left, Morales also moved, to a remote location. Fortunately, there was an official record of every move, so Benjamin eventually found him. Twenty-five years later, Morales was much older and bald. In order to leave his sadness, he applied for a job in a remote branch. He has not remarried since his wife's death. He was very surprised to see Benjamin again. He read the draft of Benjamin's novel and thought he should let go of the past, after all, it had been twenty-five years. Benjamin thought Morales was hiding in the country to avoid Gomes, but Morales said he was not afraid of Gomes at all. These statements made Benjamin suspicious, because Morales's love for his wife, the deepest attachment he had ever seen in his life, now seemed to be light. So Benjamin told Morales the doubts he had in his heart for many years. He felt that it was unlikely that his friend Sanduvar was killed by Gomes. Gomes knew Benjamin and Sanduval. If Gomes killed Sandoval, then he should be hiding in Benjamin's house and waiting for him to come back. So the real murderer should be someone who doesn't know what Benjamin looks like, and the overturned photo is likely to be overturned by Sanduval to confuse the murderer. Morales is not interested in these things, he just wants to live a peaceful life, and he also persuades Benjamin that no matter what the truth is, everyone is left with only memories in the end, so try to choose some good things to believe. As for Benjamin's suspicion that he had already killed Gomes, Morales said that he would not be so stupid. A few bullets freed Gomes in exchange for his fifty-year prison life, which was not worth it.
Now that Morales didn't know Sanduval and wasn't interested in the cause of his death, Benjamin had nothing to say. At the door, he finally told Morales that Sanduval's last words were that we must catch the guy. Benjamin said that although Sanduval was dead, he would have to catch Gomes as long as he was alive. Hearing this, Morales finally couldn't bear it anymore. He grabbed Benjamin who was leaving and confessed that he shot and killed Gomes. Since he owed Benjamin a favor, he told him the fact. But he won't admit anything publicly.
Benjamin drove away from Morales' home. On the road, scenes of the past flashed before his eyes, Morales' grief when Anlina died, he told Sandoval that Morales' life was frozen at the moment his wife died, in Morales' new residence A photo of his wife, Morales said he wanted Gomes to have nothing, Morales said he would not give Gomes a few bullets to relieve, Sandoval said that what people do not change is a hobby, a habit. So Benjamin drove the car back to Morales' house, but he just quietly hid behind the tree until night fell and saw Morales walk out of the house with a tray. Benjamin followed Morales to a nearby warehouse, and saw Morales put the pallet outside a row of iron railings, and then saw an old man walking out of a small door and picked up the pallet across the iron railings. Tray, that's Gomes. When Gomes saw Benjamin, he was startled, dropped the tray in his hand, leaned against the railing, and whispered to Benjamin, please tell him, at least talk to me. Then Gomes walked away from the wicket in his clothes again. When Benjamin turned his head towards Morales, he only heard Morales say one sentence, what you said, a life for a life.
The first thing Benjamin did when he returned to the city was to bury Sanduval's grave. Although twenty-five years was a long time, Gomes was arrested. Benjamin came home and carefully revised the draft of the novel. The typewriter he used was given to him by Erin, and the A key broke twenty-five years ago. So he has to fill in all the aces with a pen. Suddenly, Benjamin remembered the piece of paper that had "I'm afraid" written on it by the head of the bed. He took it, lifted the pen, added the letter A to it, and smiled. It turns out that in Argentine, adding an A to "I'm afraid" becomes "I love you". The next day, Benjamin strode into Erin's office with determination, saying he had to talk to her. Erin opened her eyes wide, looked at him, and said in a warning tone: things will be complicated. Benjamin replied, I don't care. So, Erin smiled, revealing that "irresistible charming smile" only reserved for her boyfriend.
"The Secret in Their Eyes" is 127 minutes long, neither long nor short. But the director said a lot to give each character character and thickness. Benjamin saw his secrets in Gomes' eyes, but in fact, everyone in the film has secrets in the eyes. "The Secret in Their Eyes" is like a finely crafted fine brushwork painting, where every detail has been carefully honed and woven, even in the furthest corners. When the director talks between the two, he always likes to shoot from behind one of them, so that the audience can not only see the reaction of the obedient party, but also the lonely back of the speaking party. This method is better than simply letting the actor face the camera. Pretend to be talking to people in the way of shooting, giving people a more sincere feeling. In addition, the way the director uses different luminosity to distinguish the present and the past, the reality and the memory, also makes people feel a good sense of integration, smoothly continuing the main tone of the whole film. The soundtrack of the film is also a highlight of the film. The mournful music appears in the sad segment at the right time, and the length and volume of the music will not overwhelm the implicit atmosphere of the whole film, changing into a tonality of great sadness and great pain. . If there are any obvious flaws in this film, it should be because the makeup skills of the old makeup are too rough. In every close-up shot, the unnatural shrinkage of the face caused by the glue can be seen, which is incompatible with the delicate and high-quality whole film. The level is quite mismatched.
Aside from the director's technique, "The Secret in Their Eyes" is a very touching love movie. When Morales said "A life is a life", the director deliberately used the angle to make the audience think that he said this sentence in a prison formed by iron bars. In fact, the meaning of this sentence is that Mace must use his life to pay Liana's debt, which means Morales will spend the rest of his life in exchange for a life sentence for Gomes. Love, we have all seen, such a deep love, unique. When Erin helped Benjamin read a draft of a novel for the first time, she said she couldn't look back, she could only move forward. She didn't say that there is no possibility for us anymore. For twenty-five years, relying on memories to warm up a love, it is really tired and hard. At this time, what she wanted was a future that she could put in her hands and stick to her heart, instead of recalling the past again and again. And after witnessing Morales' persistence and courage in love, what else is there to be afraid of Benjamin?
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