Review of Official Story, The

Introduction

Dictatorships under many different names and in many different countries exist and then disappear across the globe and throughout history. Many of these are afar and we don`t know too much about them. We are aware, maybe, of what form they take but how much do we know about what actions they take during their reign and how their people are affected?

One such dictatorship was the military Junta that ruled Argentina, a Junta that seized power from Maria Peron (widow and third wife of Juan Peron) in 1976 and ruled until late 1983 after an attempt to court public opinion with an ill-conceived invasion of the Falkland Islands. The junta raised a `dirty war` (El Proceso) against suspected terrorists and their sympathisers, with as many as between 10,000 and 30,000 people disappearing in this seven year period. These people were referred to as `los desaparecidos`, or `the disappeared ones`.

The fall of the junta led to a string of anti-Junta movies, The Official Story the most widely recognised and acclaimed. This film, directed by Luis Puenzo, won an Oscar in 1986 for Best Foreign Language Film and it swept the boards in the 1986 Silver Condor Awards (Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards). Filming of this movie started in 1983, whilst the Junta was still in power, and threats were made against the director and cast which led to an announcement that filming had been cancelled. It hadn`t though, and filming continued in secret until 1985, the finished article being released on 3rd April 1985. This, co-incidently, was the day that the first judgements arrived against members of the deposed Junta.

Alicia (Norma Aleandro) is a History Professor teaching in the local High School, and married to Roberto (Héctor Alterio), who is a successful lawyer. They have an adopted child, Gaby (Analia Castro) who they both adore. Alicia has never worried about life under the military Junta, same as her friends, believing the propaganda that only those who have done something wrong have been punished. Her perceptions of what has happened under her nose and across her country is about to change forever.

Struggling to control her class of young male students, who all have revolutionary ideals, Alicia attends a class reunion with some old girlfriends. Amongst this group is Ana (Chunchuna Villafane), who has returned from exile in Europe. Speaking afterwards, Ana tells Alicia about how she was taken away, tortured and raped in an attempt by the military to find her husband, a suspected subversive. Ana also mentions that many mothers taken into custody had their children removed and were given up for adoption by couples who paid and didn`t ask any questions. This shocks Alicia to the core and is exacerbated shortly afterwards when she arrives in her class to find newspaper cuttings all over her blackboard referring to `los desaparecidos`.

Her conscience slowly awakening, she questions her husband about the origins of their adopted child. Roberto is evasive though, and has problems of his own with the capitulation of the Junta seemingly close. This provokes Alicia to throw caution to the wind, and knowing that her investigations may lose her the child she loves, she researches into `los desaparecidos` and the adoption and medical records of Gaby.

Video

Picture is a bit dark with subdued colours. No real degradation of print though.

Audio

Comes only in original Argentinian soundtrack with English subtitles. The subtitles themselves have been transposed incorrectly with numerous grammatical and spelling errors. Some of the soundtrack work is a little odd though. One of the pivotal emotional moments of this film is soundtracked by what sounds like music you`d hear in a fairground which detracts a little from being caught in the moment.

Features

Nothing bar chapter selection.

Conclusion

An important film, The Official Story tells the heartrending story that must have occurred throughout Argentina in one form or another. If nothing else, then this film sheds some light on how badly a ruling dictatorship can treat it`s people and how people can turn a blind eye and not see the obvious. The parallels across history are obvious; those who look but do not see; those who listen, but do not hear. The apparent blindness of real life and ideological acceptance of their environment is a familiar tome for well-off inhabitants within these societies. The dawning awareness of the truth and pricking of her conscience is what drives this particular film forward. Slowly but surely Alicia starts to see everything that is happening around her, things that many of those she knows, works with or teaches already know.

Norma Aleandro gives a stunning performance as the History Professor who turns out not to know anything about real current affairs in her own country. There is apparently a dubbed version of this film, but I can`t believe you`d get the same level of power in the performance other than in it`s native language. The transition from contented teacher and housewife to the realisation that everything around her is false is a slow but gripping performance. No fancy editing here, the story doesn`t need it.

Good support from both Chunchuna Villafane and Héctor Alterio, at opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of the story. Roberto knows exactly what happened and it is also dawning on him that the Junta that has benefited him both personally and financially is coming to an end. Ana is really the catalyst who shows Alicia that people didn`t have to have done something wrong to be taken into custody and tortured. Both are pivotal to how the story progresses, but they are just support characters for Aleandro.

The ending to this film is not clear cut, but this doesn`t make it any worse. Indeed, it leaves the viewer to work out exactly what would have happened. Overall, a slow burning but powerful story that wrenches your emotions as you understand not only the events depicted but the agony that threatens to tear Alicia apart in her quest for the truth. Not a disc to really do this film justice, but a worthwhile watch.