La Historia Oficial (The Official Story) (1985)

100% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
85% of users liked it
(2,355 ratings)

This is an emotionally gripping, fictional look at a couple torn apart by the infamous Argentine campaign of killings and torture that sent thousands of accused terrorists to unmarked graves in the mid-and late-'70s. Alicia (Norma Aleandro) and Roberto (Hector Alterio) adopted a little girl (Analia… More This is an emotionally gripping, fictional look at a couple torn apart by the infamous Argentine campaign of killings and torture that sent thousands of accused terrorists to unmarked graves in the mid-and late-'70s. Alicia (Norma Aleandro) and Roberto (Hector Alterio) adopted a little girl (Analia Castro) during this period of governmental terror in Argentina. Alicia has always wondered about the parents of their little girl, a topic her husband has forced her into forgetting as a condition of the adoption -- he alone knows the full story. Thanks to censorship, Alicia -- like others -- is not fully aware of how much killing has gone on until her students at school start complaining that their textbook histories were written by murderers. Add to this a long conversation with a friend who had been in exile after she was tortured by the government, and Alicia starts to do some serious political and personal research on her own. The results reveal the identity of the little girl's dead parents and reveal that Alicia's husband has had a nasty hand in the government repression and dirty dealings with foreign businesses. She also learns the identity of the girl's grandmother. Her next decision will determine what to do with this information. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By: Luis Puenzo
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Apr 3, 1985 Wide
On DVD: Jul 5, 2000
Studio: Koch Lorber Films

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A rare film, which makes a powerful political statement while telling a touching personal story. In his feature debut, Puenzo shows commitment to human rights without imposing explicit political doctrine.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
An almost textbook example of how to use a personal story to tell and illuminate a much larger one (are you listening, Oliver Stone?).
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A wrenching and painful drama that crystallizes the horror and the obscenity of political activities that annihilate family solidarity in the name of ideology.

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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, The Official Story 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 Evita 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 The Official Story, but it's not for all audiences, especially my classmates who fell asleep during World History and failed to see Evita.
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.