Intercultural Management – Argentina
Argentina culture seen through
« El secreto de sus ojos»,
Staggering and outstandingly led, this movie appears like a “breath of fresh air”. In spite of stereotypes, or rather thanks to stereotypes clearly defined, Juan José Campanella offers a relevant presentation of Argentinas culture. The following insights will illustrate my own point of view through “The secret in their eyes”.
Firstly, this movie doesnt claim to be political, but everything is political, especially justice, in period of dictatorship. The important thing about political is not only the tip of the iceberg but also what we dont see, what we dont say. Basically, nothing expressly sends back to politics in this movie except the wink to Peron through a TV report. Argentinas political history is marked by scandals, corruption and violence which make that today the politics became a sensitive stake and subject to discords in a society considered as one of the red lanterns of corruption. These unspoken reveal deeper causes which soaked the Argentine culture for decades. The lack of justice, the lack of morality, the corruption and the breach of trust inside judicial systems, the repression of soft feelings by questions of social character, the political eternal problems of Argentina, shown in a “Peronist populism” didnt exempt from a corruption.
Insight 1: Argentinas society (and by extension Argentinas culture) is suffering corruption and injustice (cf. “Which justice?”)
The fragility of Argentines society through the dictatorship makes only growing up the gap between an Europeanized social class and the middle class. «The secret in their eyes» exploit the idea of this two tier Argentina and the cohabitation between classes.
Insight 2: A two-tier Argentinas society
All this is an opposition with the permanent and platonic values, clearly exposed through the morality of the characters, as the concept of friendship and loyalty symbolized by Sandoval and Benjamin Espósito. Argentineans grant importance in the membership, in the family and traditional values. We feel it throughout the movie, feelings, love, friendship, all which makes the man a Human being, is protected. (Through the relation between Mr. ESPOSITO and Miss HASTINGS).
Insight 2: Argentineans are attached to membership, family, friendship, love and feelings
In 70s Argentina, things are rarely what they seem to be on the surface. The narrative moved in a melodrama of unspoken, where its necessary to learn to read on the eyes. We conclude that eyes have a particular sentimental value for Argentineans. So, eyes translate the truth and they determine the reliable level in a relation. Moreover, the body