BBBBB
(out of 5)
Original title: La Historia Oficial
The cream of the crop when it comes to South American cinema, this Argentinian masterpiece is probably the greatest politically motivated film of the eighties. Norma Aleandro is outstanding as a history teacher whose understanding of her country’s past is impersonal and strictly related to the events documented in her textbooks. This all changes when she begins to suspect that her adopted daughter might actually be the child of one of the many university students who were tortured and murdered during the country’s “Dirty War”. Aleandro makes inquiries and chases an empty paper trail in order to find answers, but all she gets is slammed doors and silent witnesses who won’t help her in any way. When even her husband won’t talk about where and how he acquired their little girl, it takes her down a path of realization, both of her country and of herself, that she can never come back from. This film crackles with suspicion and fear, all impressively fleshed out by first-time director Luis Puenzo, who also co-wrote the excellent screenplay.
Historias Cinematograficas Cinemania, Progress Communications
Directed by Luis Puenzo
Screenplay by Aida Bortnik, Luis Puenzo
Cinematography by Felix Monti
Produced by Marcelo Pineyro
Music by Atilio Stampone
Production Design by Abel Facello
Costume Design by Ticky Garcia Estevez
Film Editing by Juan Carlos Macias
