Overview
A gripping exploration of family, truth, and the shadows of a nation's past.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- wrenching
- politically charged
- intimate
- political cinema night
- historical drama viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, humane, and politically committed drama, especially praising its emotional force and Norma Aleandro’s internalized performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alicia’s household and adopted daughter force her to confront Argentina’s dictatorship and its abuses.
Alicia teaches history while gradually questioning the official account of the junta’s violence and her daughter’s origins.
Alicia’s investigation into her daughter’s past transforms her assumptions about Roberto, motherhood, and complicity.
The story locates the consequences of military rule in Alicia’s home, classroom, marriage, and family secrets.
Films like The Official Story, and why
Missing
political drama centered on state violence, moral awakening, and the human cost of authoritarianism
Z
historical political thriller combining personal tragedy with institutional repression and contested truth
The Year of the Pig
emotionally intimate drama about dictatorship, family rupture, and human rights abuses in Latin America
Movie Details
- Director
- Luis Puenzo
- Release Date
- 1985-04-03
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (212)
Cast
- Norma Aleandro
- Héctor Alterio
- Hugo Arana
- Guillermo Battaglia
- Chela Ruiz
- Patricio Contreras
- Aníbal Morixe
- María Luisa Robledo
- Jorge Petraglia
- Analía Castro
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Cohen Media Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Official Story about?
- A history teacher’s comfortable family life fractures when post-dictatorship Argentina forces her to question the origins of her adopted daughter and her own complicity.
- What is The Official Story like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Official Story as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Official Story violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Official Story as mild.
- What did critics think of The Official Story?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, humane, and politically committed drama, especially praising its emotional force and Norma Aleandro’s internalized performance.
- Which films are like The Official Story?
- Films with a similar feel include Missing, Z, and The Year of the Pig.
- How long is The Official Story?
- The Official Story runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Official Story?
- In United States, The Official Story streams on Cohen Media Amazon Channel.
