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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Secret in their Eyes





"Eyes are the window to your soul"

That has got to be one of the most talked about quotes ever invented. I believe that statement contains a profound revelation of one of the most mysterious parts of the human body.....the eyes.  It's funny that after all the advances in science and technology, we are nowhere close to unraveling the complexity or significance of the eyes and they role that they play in relationships, spirituality, and health both physically and emotionally.

There have been moments in my life where I felt that another person's energy towards me and their love was so strong that I could barely look into their eyes as I was talking to them and trying to have a conversation with them. Another incident that sticks in my mind was when I was sharing something with a friend from my heart. It wasn't any profound spiritual revelation, just something simple yet powerful that I knew would be an encouragement to her. But even before i had gotton through saying what I want to say, the whole time she kept looking at me with this pure adoration in her eyes.

How do you know when someone absolutely adores you?  Because they look straight into your eyes with a completely unbroken gaze, as if they can't stop looking at you and they don't want to either. It should have been absolutely no surprise to me that 30 secs later I found myself caught up in the arms of that same friend who also didn't hesitate to plant a big wet kiss on my cheek.  Being subtle isn't really a high value in Argentine culture!

In the past few years, there have been a number of spanish speaking films done that explore the connection we make with our eyes and how it comes into play on many levels of society and in our own personal lives as well. I'll never forget my first ever spanish speaking film without subtitles. It was "Abrazos Rotos" (Broken Embraces)  the newest film by famed Spanish director "Pedro Almodovar".  The basics of the story is that it is a blind writer who in his life, goes by two names "Mateo Blanco" or "Harry Caine". The synopsis is that "Mateo Blanco" was his real name that he used to go by to sign and direct the film that he is making. And "Harry Caine" he uses to sign his literary works, stories, and scripts. Without going away too much, the basis of the story is that 14 years before, he was in a car crash that blinded him and killed Lena, the love of his life (played by Penelopé Cruz). Not only does he physically go into darkness with the loss of his eyes but his world plunges into darkness with the loss of Lena. In his attempt to cope with the tragedy, he decides to lose his real identity of "Mateo Blanco" and instead live his life from then on as "Harry Caine". That is until a series of events force him to be reconciled with his past, the tragedy, and his true identity......

All I can say is that the movie was a wonderful example of a film that is simple yet complex. The idea of it was simple enough so that someone like me who is watching it without subtitles can actually understand the main plotline.  There were more complicated elements of the story, some of it which I didn't catch not being a native spanish speaker but those I can catch when I watch the movie again with subtitles. 

However there is another well done movie that I am looking forward to seeing but this time I would definitely need subtitles. "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" (The Secret in Their Eyes) is the first movie filmed and directed in Argentina by an Argentinean to win an oscar for being the best foreign language film. The film was already in theatres in Argentina when I was living there and will be opening for cinemas in North America April 16.  Again, there is this underlying theme in the movie about the connection we make with our eyes and how it comes into play in relationships, even in this complicated series of events and subplots.

I can't comment too much this time because it is a film I have not yet seen.  But from all the reviews and trailers I have read and watched, it looks like an excellent piece of work and winning an Oscar is certainly evidence that "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" is anything but ordinary.




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Amorous Alpacas

Amorous Alpacas