Carancho (2010)

The best way I can describe this story is one of constantly turning tables.  Just when you think you have it figured out, things change.  There is enough drama, enough funny, enough blood, and plenty of little surprises to make this otherwise slow-moving story interesting.

Ricardo Darín is too good for words.  His chemistry with Martina Gusman is tragic, magic, and works.  I usually love Argentine cinema.  They have such a wide range of quirky topics.  This one included.  Happy endings do not appear part of their repertoire.  No spoilers here.

Watch this movie with someone who worries about their car insurance.

El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes) 2009

Hands down, this is one of the best movies I've seen in 2010. It is smart. It is funny. It is tragic. It is very romantic. Dramedy does not begin to cover the range of genres this movie covers.

Ricardo Darín is marvelous as a retired investigator with the Buenos Aires police. He decides to write a novel based on one of his unsolved cases. To do this he goes back to the office and talks to his old boss played deliciously by Carla Quevedo. The chemistry these two have is equal to that of their characters.

Side characters make any good movie better, and this one is no exception. Guillermo Francella is wonderful as the comic relief, the true brain, the mock buffoon, and best friend of Darin's character.

The rest of the cast is up to the task and are brilliant together. None will be familiar to American audiences, but are very familiar faces to Argentine audiences.

The rape scene early in the movie is the hardest part to watch. Scenes of the crime investigation are next. But, they are relatively brief and can be dealt with the fast forward if needed without any loss to the story line.

If you like movies with a mix of suspense, mystery, humor, and romance combined with a surprise ending, you will certainly like this one. In Spanish with English subtitles, it moves to fast you hardly notice. But do pay attention to the quick witty repartee between characters.

Watch this with someone who knows how to hold a grudge.