Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  A schoolteacher searches for her adopted daughter's origins. Beginning as a film about how teachers teach/indoctrinate the state's dominant paradigm, the film quickly shifts focus to the teacher's family life. We learn that it is likely that her daughter was procured… More
  A schoolteacher searches for her adopted daughter's origins. Beginning as a film about how teachers teach/indoctrinate the state's dominant paradigm, the film quickly shifts focus to the teacher's family life. We learn that it is likely that her daughter was procured by illegal or immoral means by her government official husband. Bourgeois versus "common man" sympathies becomes the main conflict for the family and the film. Thus, <i>The Official Story</i> is a heady drama, one that ultimately condemns the upper classes by revealing violence hidden beneath the veneer of respectability. I don't think I could appreciate the film as much as a native Argentinian because of my limited knowledge of their history; I've seen <i>Evita</i> and paid attention during World History in high school, but that's about it, and many of the oblique references to past military leaders was lost on me. The drama also unfolds slowly. There are long zooms and pans and numerous shots of the main character looking pensive. Overall, I think there's a lot to like about <i>The Official Story</i>, but it's not for all audiences, especially my classmates who fell asleep during World History and failed to see <i>Evita</i>.

• Pierluigi P

  
  It takes a very intimate story and allows us to see through a small crack all the horror and tragedy suffered by a whole nation. Overwhelming.

• familiar s

  
  After much consideration, I finally decided to go for it paying respect to its IMDb ratings. The fact that it has historical background also played its part in luring me towards it. However, the story turned out to be extremely different than what I'd expected. Content-wise, not… More
  After much consideration, I finally decided to go for it paying respect to its IMDb ratings. The fact that it has historical background also played its part in luring me towards it. However, the story turned out to be extremely different than what I'd expected. Content-wise, not quality-wise. Neither delighted nor disappointed by it, I guess that knowing the relevant history (yeah, blindly jumped into it with the info that it has historical background; didn't dig even a wee-bit further about it at that time) might have helped more and made it more engaging. Unfortunately, I'd never heard about the historical "Dirty War" tragedy before watching this movie. I didn't find the movie that great. It had emotions, it had thrills, the acting was good, the music was good, the dialogues were excellent, but yet I won't call it a heart-wrenching drama. The overall outcome wasn't so incredible. This Oscar winning flick is undoubtedly watchable and shouldn't be a PITA. Although it might be painful in some other parts to some.

• jay n

  
  Wonderful lead performance by Norma Aleandro and a compelling if sad story make this worth seeking out.

• Lenny M

  
  Strong Recommendation for a depiction of the aftershock of one of the most brutal times in the Americas.

• Drew S

  
  I watched this a long time ago in Spanish class and had been struggling to remember the title for a while now. After finally reading about it, I had a burst of revelation, and naturally the first thing I did was to come back here and write about it. I am a nerd. The Official Story is… More
  I watched this a long time ago in Spanish class and had been struggling to remember the title for a while now. After finally reading about it, I had a burst of revelation, and naturally the first thing I did was to come back here and write about it. I am a nerd. The Official Story is both emotionally and politically charged, which is an extremely difficult balance for a film to strike. Even after four years, some of the scenes in it still resonate with me - one toward the end in particular. It is a movie to watch with open and mature eyes, one I'd like to take another look at some time in the future.

• MJS M

  
  I watched this because I just got done reading a book called Imagining Argentina which was about the same conflict this film deals with. I?d been meaning to see this winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar the year it came out. There isn?t a whole lot to say about it, the setting is… More
  I watched this because I just got done reading a book called Imagining Argentina which was about the same conflict this film deals with. I?d been meaning to see this winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar the year it came out. There isn?t a whole lot to say about it, the setting is interesting and the story is powerful. I thought some of the acting was a little weak, and the movie ended about fifteen minutes to early, otherwise it?s a good solid piece of work.

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