The Official Story

An Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, Luis Puenzo's 1985 The Official Story serves up a harrowing tale of political oppression in modern Argentina, seen through the plight of a history teacher named Alicia (Norma Aleandro), who begins to suspect that her adopted daughter might not have been freely given up by her original parents. Aleandro is excellent as the loving mother, who doggedly searches for the truth, running up against political walls right and left--even from her own conservative businessman husband (Hector Alterio), who is gradually revealed to be a truly heinous character. Eventually, Alicia meets the placard-carrying mothers and grandmothers whose children have been taken away by the corrupt military regime as punishment for entertaining liberal political beliefs. In the powerful finale, Alicia is forced to weigh maternal love against fundamental ethics in a confrontation that threatens to tear the family apart. Making its second appearance on DVD, The Official Story looks far superior here to its original, widely maligned transfer and boasts solid Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, but no extras. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Oct. 16, 2018—Cohen, 115 min., in Spanish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $19.99, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1985’s The Official Story features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include an interview with director Luis Puenzo (39 min.), and a restoration featurette (2 min.). Bottom line: newly restored and remastered, this Oscar winner shines on Blu-ray.]