LA HISTORIA OFICIAL

114 minutes

Director: Luis Puenzo

Country: Argentina

Year: 1985

Language: Spanish (English subtitles)

Overview:

Set in the 1980’s, this film follows the sheltered wife of a wealthy businessman. Things go downhill when she begins to realize that her adopted daughter may have been taken from one of the families that “disappeared” during the harsh military rule of the 1970’s.

Previewing Activities

• What is a dictator? How do most dictators gain power?
• What do you know about adoption? What kinds of regulations exist?
• What do you know about South American politics during the 70s and 80s?

Post-viewing Activities

• What is Alicia and Roberto’s daughter’s name?
• Why is there a conflict between Roberto and his parents?
• If you were the girl’s real grandmother, would you want her to continue living with Alicia?
• If you were Alicia in the final scene what would you do?

Class Projects

• Write a letter to the government during this time period, and explain your feelings about the things that happened to the Argentine people.
• Research the public reaction to all of the “disappearances” during this time period and write a brief summary of the events.

How to Borrow this Video:

The videos owned by the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are housed in the Outreach Office of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  They are lent free of charge.  For information on films and reservations, please visit http://isa.unc.edu/film/films_main.asp.

Suggested Readings:

· Anderson, Martin Edwin. Dossier Secreto: Argentina's Desaparecidos and the Myth of the "Dirty War". Westview Press, 1993.

· Arditti, Rita. Searching for Life: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Disappeared Children of Argentina. University of California Press, 1999.