The Official story

This first film by Argentine director Luis Puenzo is a subtle commentary on the right-wing terror squads which victimized that country in the 1970s. Five-year-old Gabi has an ideal home in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. Her mother, Alicia, is a respected history teacher; her father is a successful businessman whose commercial and social contacts reach the top echelons of the Argentine government. In the aftermath of the Falklands crisis, the life of this family changes and the mystery surrounding Gabi's adoption takes on sinister overtones. Prompted by her friend's personal revelations about detainment and torture and demonstrations by Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo whose children disappeared at the hands of the military, Alicia must confront the atrocities of the junta and her husband's complicity. In the end, Alicia comes to terms with the nagging conviction that Gabi is the child of missing political dissidents. (Does not circulate)