IslandGuru Who payed the critics

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

lasttimeisaw A searing political exposé situated in the immediate aftermath of Argentina's Dirty War (1976- 1983), director Luis Puenzo's second feature THE OFFICIAL STORY became the first Argentinian movie to snatch Oscar's BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE laurels. In 1983, the seemingly perfect life of a middle-class high-school history teacher Alicia Ibáñez (Aleandro) starts to crack when she begins to suspect the birth parents of her adopted daughter Gaby (Castro, an elfin darling), now 5-year-old, might be victims of political persecutions during the military dictatorship. She is determined to find out the truth and inexorably clashes with her husband Roberto (Alterio), who is a well-off government representative and might be in the knowing from the very start. Puenzo and his co-screenwriter Aída Bortnik import a limpid script to set Alicia to embark on a late-but-better-than-never realization of her country's buried horror which implausibly has been eluded by her until that point, as one of her colleagues Benítez (Contreras) jests that nothing is more gratifying than a guilty bourgeois woman. What makes Alicia tick is the return of her best friend Ana (Villafañe) from abroad, during an escalatingly poignant two-hander from the two magnificent actresses, Ana confesses to her that she was subjected to torture by the secret police (she is an associate of a subversive) and was forced into exile. Ana's account jolts Alicia into facing up with that troubling question, at the same time, a subplot pertains to the rebellious polemic of Alicia's students (atrociously played by actors much maturer than high schoolers) also vouch for the progress on her conscience. When she finally meets Sara (Ruíz), possibly Gaby's biological grandmother, she bestirs herself with a final attempt to reason with her intransigent husband. Apart from the film's polemical angle in cashing in on a topical powder keg, in retrospect, the film's more lingering sway is underlain by its less argumentative depiction of women's place in a typical patriarchal society, through our heroine, Alicia is an ordinary woman in every aspect, mostly hedged in her domestic remit, a mother and a wife, Roberto has never cared to ask anything about her job, as if it is just a hobbyhorse to keep her busy. During Roberto's apoplectic wrangle with his leftist father Jose (Battaglia) and brother Enrique (Arana), Alicia's total silence speaks volumes in that tableau vivant - women have no voice in politics (neither in religion, as glanced through Alicia's vain endeavor inside a confessional, belittled by a snotty man of God), they are subservient, ancillary and biddable, but, as a human being, every sane soul is endowed with the judgment of right and wrong, and Puenzo's sensible work pays the highest homage to that, which makes the ending incredibly uplifting albeit with such a small gesture, as it would happen in real life. Puenzo assembles an ace cast, Villafañe, Battaglia, Ruíz are all bankable scene-stealers, but no one can upstage Norma Aleandro's pyrotechnics, which oozes heartfelt nuance to countervail a melodramatic milieu Alicia is entangled with and staunchly refuses any trace of ham. On the other hand, Héctor Alterio embodies Roberto, a mouthpiece of the junta, with repulsion-inducing exertion as the sole villain in the film, an outstanding feat to accomplish out of a less well-rounded character. All in all, Puenzo's blunt cri-de-coeur is graced with a lyrical accompanying score and an encroaching camera-work as if it tries to delve as deep as possible into its characters' psyche, an engaging infotainment with humanity unflaggingly glistening in its nucleus.

NICO "La Historia Oficial" is a movie which certainly reaches out to the hearts and minds of most Argentines. First of all, the main issue which is the cause for the problems which arise in the household of Alicia and Roberto, is one with which the older generation of Argentines has had to deal with in their own lives. Moreover, the reality and discomfort which is seen in various instances during the movie can easily be a picture of what was going on in countless households during that time period. In the movie we see some of what is going on in the government a little bit by the actual protests, but mostly by the situations which surround Alicia. The story of Alicia's friend Ana and the circumstances involving her daughter all point to great distress in the country's government. Whilst the government has much to do with the movie, the story revolves more around the impact which the government has on a simple Argentine family and their relationships with each other.

MartinHafer Unfortunately, few people outside of Argentina remember the bad old days of the late 1970s and early 80s and Argentina's military junta. During its reign, literally thousands of people just "disappeared"--never to be seen again. Any possible dissent was wiped out through torture, intimidation and murder. It was this climate of repression and ultra-nationalistic rhetoric that the fatal invasion of the Falklands was staged--ultimately leading to the ruin and collapse of the Argentinian government.Now that I've spouted out all that stuff about the historical context for the movie, let's get to the film itself. The story begins with a rich and well-connected family (just how well-connected you find out much later in the story). They are about to celebrate the 5th birthday of their adopted daughter. However, unconfirmed stories about where many of these adopted babies came from begin to fall on the ears of our heroine. Alicia (Norma Aleandro) is horrified to hear that many adopted babies are probably those taken from these political prisoners that vanished while in police custody. When she brings these concerns to her husband, he ignores her and changes the subject--something he did repeatedly throughout the movie. However, she can't live a lie and MUST find out from where they adopted their daughter.The acting is superb throughout the film as is the pacing--as she goes from a strict conformist to ultimately demanding to know more. The progression is NOT abrupt and it makes sense how it evolves thanks to excellent writing. Also, Ms. Aleandro's acting (as well as that of the supporting actors and actresses) is wonderful--so much that you feel yourself feeling what they are trying to portray. As a result, this movie will definitely get the tears flowing. Also, the final confrontation with her husband, though important, is a bit tough to watch (be forewarned).FYI--this movie is rated R because of the intensity of the subject matter and some pretty horrible domestic violence towards the end of the movie. The movie should be okay for most teenagers to view.

Matt Hurst Luis Puenzo's 'La Historia Official' captures a moment in Argentine history from the perspective less common for it's home audience; the aristocracy. Inside the junta military (military rule) of Argentina from 1976-1983 there were many like Alecia Marnet, with their upper class stability and indifference to a rule that left them in power of their own destinies. Alecia is somewhat different in her work as a history teacher seemingly unaware of how history is written by the victors. Her subsequent change of heart parallels that of her country, without which change this film could never have made.There are plenty of compelling stories within 'La Historia Official' that sensitively portray the atrocities suffered by the Argentines at the hand of their own rulers. When Alecia is told of the uncharged detention and torture of her high school friend in a first hand account could hardly believe that such horrors could be committed by those who helped her family build a good life. She dismisses her students' news articles and pleads for peaceful renewal in the country, even threatening to expel them for questioning the official history accounts. Alecia at first reacts in denial to these challenges to authority in protection of herself from feeling guilt and shame for having benefited from others' suffering. It is entirely necessary for her to take the experience personally, through finding her daughter's true identity, for Alecia to accept and then come to terms with her own and her nation's true identity. This psychodrama is furthered by her own husband's opposition to the truth; his definition of success is motivated only when he is recognized with respect. As Alecia finds her husband's own family cannot respect his work, and she in turn can no longer respect him for his deceit, she in turn becomes one of the people before Argentina frees itself from its fascist rulers.There's much to love in any film made about the people like those who are making it. 'La Historia Official' may not represent anything distinctive technically from other films, but its story is a powerful tribute to its own country. The film however is entirely universal. Had the film taken place in fascist Spain or any other fascist ruled country, the only differences would probably be cultural and historical. Through Alecia we find the ability to learn the truth and rise in opposition within ourselves. 'La Historia Official' shows us the truth lay dormant within ourselves but should not be ignored for the sake of accepting the history we are told.