A decades-old rape and murder case still haunts a retired court investigator in this Oscar winner for best foreign language film from Argentina. But perusing the facts again as the basis for a novel, the investigator unlocks memories and emotions that many hoped would remain buried. Not just a taut thriller with a hackle-raising, twisted moral climax, director Juan José Campanella's polished adaptation of Eduardo Sacheri's bestseller is also a tale of unrequited love and a damning indictment of Argentina's past military junta. Campanella (a director of US TV shows like House and Law & Order) draws out beautifully shaded performances from his regular star Ricardo Darín as the investigator, whom you really cannot take your eyes off, and Soledad Villamil as Darín's former boss, and the action zips through multiple time zones while never slacking in thematic resonance. A brilliantly staged chase scene through a Buenos Aires stadium during a soccer match is a suspense highlight in this intelligently touching spellbinder.

Hoping to put to rest years of unease concerning a past case, retired criminal investigator Benjamín begins writing a novel based on the unsolved mystery of a newlywed’s rape and murder. With the help of a former colleague, judge Irene, he attempts to make sense of the past.