Thoughts on The Official Story

 

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"It's always easier to believe it's impossible, right? Because if it were possible it would require complicity. Of people who refuse to believe, even as it stares them in the face."

As I write this, it's 9:30 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 6, three nights since Election Night. The world hasn't come to a standstill even if certain media outlets have. I was watching CNN earlier today and some pundit said everyone is treating Trump (now and inevitably the loser of the 2020 presidential election) like a bird they don't want to upset. I'll give them credit for not going with the imagery of tiptoeing around a dragon, but trying to appease a 74-year-old basket case shouldn't be anyone's first priority. Seriously, how long must this go on? When do the deplorables get to be part of America's past?

I'm asking for too much. The deplorables will likely continue as a smaller and smaller part of society, but I doubt we'll see their extinction in my time. To paraphrase Rod Serling, the moment we forget them, the moment we cease to be haunted by what they've accomplished, that's when we bury our reason, logic, knowledge and conscience.

via Getty Images

While Yanela Sanchez was not actually separated from her mother, I defy anyone to look at that photo and not have your heart broken. Remember, this is what we've seen. Think of what we haven't seen. There's a similar harrowing moment in The Official Story, directed and co-written by Luis Puenzo. Gaby (Analía Castro) has left her fifth birthday party to play with a baby doll. Her cousins are roughhousing and burst into the room, terrifying Gaby. Later in the movie, we learn Gaby's mother was apprehended while pregnant, so Gaby couldn't have seen such a scene. But as Alicia (Norma Aleandro) comforts her, Gaby cries a little too long and a little too intensely, and you start to wonder ...

Gaby is the adopted daughter of Alicia and Roberto (Héctor Alterio). He's a government official of some standing, enough for his family to live comfortably. Story takes place in 1983, at the end of Argentina's last military dictatorship. Alicia teaches national history to high schoolers, her conservative, disciplined curriculum eventually being eroded by liberal attitudes introduced by student Costa (whose actor I can't identify). Costa is one of several people who help open Alicia's eyes. Others include fellow teacher Benitez (Patricio Contreras) and longtime friend Ana (Chunchuna Villafañe), a former political prisoner and exile. Ana's choice words for Dora (Lidia Catalano) should be memorized and delivered to the first person who attempts a "he wasn't so bad" defense of Trump. 

"I've thought a lot about you, these years. ... I swear. You were like an obsession. And when I saw you, it all came back to me. Because you look the same. Exactly the same. After all these years. After all those things and you look exactly the same. The same as when you brown-nosed the monitor and gave me two silver salt cellars when all I owned was a mattress. The same. So now, Dora -- worthless schoolmate, unforgettable bitch, why don't you go fuck yourself?"

Piece by piece, Alicia approaches a truth she might always have known: Gaby was illegally obtained. Near Story's end, she meets Sara (Chela Ruíz), whose late daughter clearly resembles Gaby. For months now, I've been writing about COVID-19's progress in North Dakota and specifically Richland County. After all this time, you'd think I've be able to accept all the exhibits of the mental gymnastics. Things are getting better. It'll just go away. It was never that bad to begin with. You made a grammatical error, so why should I consider you credible? People can rationalize everything. Perhaps even the truth.

The Washington Post's review, apparently un-bylined, felt Story would have been better told through Roberto rather than Alicia. "He's the genuinely tragic figure, the guy who bought the pipe dream, who thought family and material success would bring happiness." I think Story is effective as it is because it knows when to judge Roberto and when to observe him. Consider Roberto trying to justify his lifestyle and political alignments to his father (Guillermo Battaglia) and brother (Hugo Arana). I know I'm spending an awful lot of time invoking contemporary society, but the dialogue feels so relevant.

"You want me to feel guilty because I'm not a loser. Oh, no, no. I'm not a loser. Get that into your heads! I'm not a loser!"

"And this other war. The war you and your bunch won. Do you know who lost it, brother? The kids. Kids like mine. They'll be paying for the dollars that were nicked. And they'll repay them by not eating and not studying. Because you certainly won't. Hell no! Why should you? You're not a loser!"

Story ends without a clear resolution. I got the impression that imprisonment would be the most merciful thing to happen to Roberto. He appears to be a fall guy, it's over with Alicia and the truth about Gaby cannot be denied. Whether intentionally or not, there's also a Doll's House vibe to Alicia's exit. She's never coming back. But what about Gaby? When does she learn about her biological parents? Does she end up solely raised by Alicia, with visitation from Sara? Does Alicia just give her to Sara? Wouldn't that inflict the same trauma Alicia felt as a girl?

"I was Gaby's age. I sat on Grandma's rocking chair. I couldn't understand what took them so long. They were both killed in a car accident. Poor Grandma. She made up this trip. She faked letters. For years I waited for them, sitting there in that rocking chair. I thought that Daddy and Mommy had abandoned me. It wasn't until I grew up and saw their grave that I started to forgive them. I was always so gullible. But not now. If I don't know who Gaby is, it's as if nothing is real."

There are no easy answers, just as there's no roadmap for America's future.

Recommended.

Thoughts:

-- "It can't be easy teaching history in high school nowadays. Kids aren't what they used to be. What do you think of today's youth? Is there any hope?"

-- Box Office: According to IMDB, this grossed nearly $70,000.

-- Critic's Corner: "Part polemic, part thriller, part tragedy," according to Roger Ebert. "Takes us to the place where politics meets the human heart," Walter Goodman wrote in the New York Times. David Denby considered Aleandro "a great but modest actress: while looking at her, you feel that you are seeing only Alicia -- the tears, storms, rages, miseries come without any apparent acting effort."

-- Awards Watch: An Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, this also scored a nominee for its script. At the Golden Globes, it won Best Foreign Film. Aleandro shared Best Actress at Cannes with Cher for Mask, while the movie received a special jury prize and was a Palme d'Or nominee. All of this compares with its nine wins at Argentina's Silver Condor awards. They include recognitions of the film, its direction, its screenplay, Contreras, Ruíz and, of course, Aleandro.

-- Aleandro herself was one of Argentina's exiles, which adds an extra layer to the scene where Alicia learns about Ana's torture, including rape and waterboarding. It's not inconceivable for Aleandro and Villafañe to have been thinking of actual friends and loved ones, either imprisoned or just able to avoid such a fate.

-- Memorable Music: The score is 44-43, still favoring songs written for movies. Official's entry is the traditional children's song, "En el País de Nomeacuerdo."

-- "Horrible, isn't it? ... Not knowing where your daughter is!"

-- Next Weekend: Once Bitten, Runaway Train. On deck: White Nights, Rocky IV. Coming soon: One Magic Christmas.