Signifiers in Thrillers : El Secreto de Sus Ojos

Though it is in Spanish, it is evident to even a non-Spanish speaker that this film is a crime/political thriller through the mise-en-scene, camera, editing and sound.

The imagery connoting a political thriller includes the office setting, surrounded by large bookshelves and men in power suits, in the grande building.  The dramatic crime scenes of a woman being attacked and the men investigating into this further the notion of a thriller, specifically a crime thriller.

Heated debates and discussions in offices hint that it is a political thriller, while the dramatic non-diegetic music throughout heightens the tension of the viewer.

The camera is always set up as omnipotent, not being involved as handheld or elaborate tracking, reinforcing the more serious/traditional political or crime thriller.

Due to the fact that it is a thriller, the editing is different than how it would be in the real film, however it is easy to predict the film will be a thriller because of the fast-paced editing, which creates suspense and tension.