La historia oficial
“The Official Story” (“La historia oficial”) is something as
rare as an Argentinian movie. I believe this may be the first on the List and I
do not know of any more coming up. The topic, a political drama, is less rare,
but as usual of high relevance as it relates to real event reaching outside the
local environment of the movie.
It is 1983, the last year of the military dictatorship in
Argentina. Alicia Ibanez (Norma Aleandro) is a high school teacher and married
to a government official, Roberto (Héctor Alterio). They belong to the upper
middle class in Buenos Aires and through Roberto’s position, on the side of the
junta. Together they have a 5-year-old adopted daughter, Gaby (Analía Castro).
Alicia’s world is rocked when her old friend Ana (Chunchuna
Villafañe) returns from exile in Europe. Ana was arrested by the junta and
tortured in prison for having had a relationship with a dissident. In prison
she learned that mothers had their children stolen to be given away to members
of the ruling class. This plants the worry in Alicia’s mind that her Gaby may
be a stolen child. She starts to investigate and gets in contact with a world
hitherto unknown to her of disappeared people and underhand dealings and learns
that her husband is not innocent.
This is the story of Alicia and Roberto and how the trust
between them is broken. A couple that changes from an intimate unit to separate
beings who cannot or do not want to be honest with each other. It is poison to
their relationship and turns their world upside down.
But this is also the story of Argentina during and to some
extent after the military junta. How the compact of the nation is broken and
violated to the point there is no trust and only suspicion and violence. This
is presented on several levels as through the story of the disappeared and
their mothers demonstrating in the street, in Alicia’s classroom, in Roberto’s
family and represented by Alicia and Roberto themselves. Their positions are
the positions of the Argentinian people.
Taking another step out, there is a universal story of
polarization and mistrust that keeps on being relevant. When people lose the
ability to talk about thing, to agree or at least agree to disagree, then
violence, mistrust and the collapse of civilization and morals happen. When the
opponent is no longer a human being, then nothing will restrain you in the name
of your cause.
I think it is this universality which is the strength of the
movie. While it works on a personal plan as a story about a relationship in
crisis, it also speaks strongly to Argentinians as they can relate deeply to
this, but even to us outsiders as we may have our own divisions to struggle
with.
I am myself rather suspicious of political movies, because
they want me to take a position that is not necessarily my own and on such a
highly explosive topic as covered here, this could be extra problematic. While
it is obvious the filmmakers are opposed to the junta, I think they exhibit a
level of understanding for both sides that is commendable and are sufficiently
able to apply that universality, without which such a movie would be divisive
rather than healing.
As entertainment, this is a slow-moving movie and you have
to be prepared for that. What it suffers in pacing, it wins in intensity. As
the crisis comes to a head you feel you know the characters and understand
their dilemma. Without this understanding it would be difficult to accept Alicia
questioning her right to her child. What mother would do that? Her dilemma becomes
believable only because of the slow build-up. In this same manner would Roberto’s
blank refusal to discuss the matter be a vilification of him as simply being cruel
if we did not understand what is at stake for him. If he were to admit the
child was stolen, it would undermine everything he worked for and believed in.
“The Official Story” won the Academy Award for best foreign
language movie and I understand why. It is a powerful movie.
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