There are many countries in the world who have abolished death penalty & there are even more associations who rally for the cause to abolish it in India but what effect will this bring about in the mindset of criminals ?????

Will you be able to digest the fact that a notorious criminal will be able to save his skin from the clutches of justice ???

Will you feel safe if all these butchers are set free to roam around in jail where they might tutor & breed even more criminals ????

Will a person feel vindicated to see the life of the criminal who tortured to death his loved one just end in a few seconds by hanging ????

PLOT : " A legal counselor tries to pen down a novel about a case of rape & murder that took place 25 years before. "



"El secreto de sus ojos" aka "The Secret in Their Eyes" is a spanish film that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards.The interest to watch the film became even more after watching its trailer.

I still can't stop thinking about the film ,such was the subtle impact the film had over me.The film faithfully follows the life of a legal counselor who tries to unravel the case of a brutal rape & murder of a newly wed wife ,his hesitations in expressing his love for his senior counselor & the trauma faced by the husband who had lost his lovely wife.

Directed by Juan José Campanella ,based on Eduardo Sacheri's novel La Pregunta de Sus Ojos (The Question in Their Eyes).Its a crime thriller set in the backdrop of 1974 Argentina ,the film also portrays the unstable nature of the judicial system where criminals are let scot free.

The flow of the film was never disturbed at any part during its running time of 2 hours ,the director maintained the pace of it beautifully.The characters in the film were all very realistic & hard-hitting.

Ricardo Darín as the counselor ,Soledad Villamil his love interest & senior counselor ,Guillermo Francella his assistant ,Pablo Rago as the husband & the accused as Javier Godino gave outstanding performances.

Cinematography Félix Monti of 1970s Argentina was very justifiable ,the colour tones used helped as it went well with the film ,it gave a serious & a more concerned look for it.

Juan José Campanella also took care of the editing ,his dedication to the film is evident as the plot never looses its rhythm.By the time the film gets over the audience will be left pondering over & over.

I have never read this novel yet but seeing the way the movie had come out i would certainly love to give this a read.

The sufferings of the husband & his desperation in finding out the one who had taken the life of the person he loved most was very moving.The justice he seeks out for the horrific murder was definitely right ,we cant let criminals like those suffer a quick death.

After all death penalty is awarded to serve as warning but what use is it if its carried in a simple manner ,its only justifiable if similar gruesome treatment is meted out to the criminals who carry out heinous crimes.We cant bring back the dead but we can however make an example out of these criminals so that it serves as a stern warning for those who think they can get away with anything.

• Director : Juan José Campanella

• Writers : Juan José Campanella(screenplay) , Eduardo Sacheri(novel)

• Cast : Ricardo Darín , Soledad Villamil , Pablo Rago , Guillermo Francella , Javier Godino

• Rating : "A" for nudity & violent images.

How do we judge a person ???
It differs from people to people as to how they evaluate a person ,some look for a person's character ,some for skills ,some at their background & the like.

How does one fall in love ?? Even to be specific ,What are the Rules of Attraction ??
Likewise ,this also differs from people to people ,some get attracted by the person's skills ,some by their charm ,some by companionship they provide & most get attracted by the person's LOOKS.

So the X factor in getting attracted is a person's LOOKS ???

PLOT : " A very handsome & rich man's life is turned upside down when a car accident severely disfigures his face. "



"Open Your Eyes" aka "Abre los ojos" is a spanish film written & directed by Alejandro Amenábar ,who is one of my favorite & inspiring directors.He is also critically acclaimed for many of his works which include The Others & three other spanish films of which one earned him an oscar.

I got completely immersed in the movie from the start ,all in all expected a drama kinda film but was bowled over by the sheer talent of the director who had orchestrated such a emotional & compelling film.

The way the director had handled the movie is something which movie makers off late seem to get inspired from ,after watching the movie you would pretty sure know where Christopher Nolan got his ideas for Inception.

Apart from directing & writing the script ,Alejandro has also handled the music along with Mariano Marín.The music was set in tune with the flow of the film which thereby raised the emotional content.

The cast are Eduardo Noriega ,Penélope Cruz ,Chete Lera ,Najwa Nimri & Fele Martínez.All of these actors had their roles perfectly fitted & had ample scope for performance.They all put stellar performances & justified their selections.

Camera work was mesmerizing in this film which is to be expected from Alejandro whose has a penchant for it.All his movies come with beautiful cinematography that enhances the viewing pleasure.

The role of Eduardo Noriega as a disfigured man was a neat performance by the actor ,giving him company or should i say his competition were his four co-stars ,for the entire film was centered around these five people.

Handling such an intricate theme was always going to be risky & complicated but the director has simply showed his class by outfoxing the audience till the very end.

Mind you ,this film grows on you slowly & finally leaves you with a feeling of awe.The screenplay kind of confuses you here & there with its flashbacks ,however you will understand their relevance thereafter.

The trauma faced by the lead actor is something that which happens in our society ,how people are avoided or grouped as untouchables ,ugly or allergic.It rarely occurs to those who have the luxury of beautiful looks that life is unpredictable & we might also be outcasts one day.

There are people who have a blind notion that looks are the X factor to be attractive but there is more to it than it meets the eye.

• Director : Alejandro Amenábar

• Writer : Alejandro Amenábar

• Cast : Eduardo Noriega ,Penélope Cruz ,Chete Lera ,Fele Martínez ,Najwa Nimri

• Rating : "A" for sexual content.