The Reel Review
When thugs from Brazil’s ruling military dictatorship forcefully take former opposition Congressman Rubens Paiva from his home in 1970 Rio de Janeiro, the family’s idyllic, sheltered life implodes, leaving his wife Eunice on a campaign for justice, in this Oscar-winning historical drama starring Fernanda Torres. The film is based on the 2015 memoir by the couple’s son, Marcelo Rubens Paiva.
Capturing the look and feel of the time period, director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, Central Station) lets his immersive story breathe, taking an unhurried look at this loving, boisterous family living a cozy life just across the street from Rio de Janeiro’s Leblon Beach. They have plans to build a new home in a hidden gem of a location. The oldest of the five children is heading to London for a pre-college stay. The military’s presence and aggressive checkpoints abound, but they roll with it. It makes the sudden jolt of the family patriarch’s kidnapping that much more emotionally devastating, as I’m Still Here delves into the psychological torment endured by the remaining loved ones and the overwhelming climate of fear, uncertainty and despair.
Fernanda Torres gives a phenomenal, layered performance as the wife and mother who gradually finds herself transforming into a social justice crusader. Small, subtle moments are peppered throughout the film, drawing the viewer into the devastation she is quietly enduring as she presents a calm demeanor to her youngest children. Given the current authoritarian political climate in the U.S., this one will stick with you long after the credits roll.
REEL FACTS
• Nominated for three Oscars – for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best International Feature Film, I’m Still Here is the highest grossing Brazilian film ($19 million) since the COVID pandemic.
• Fernanda Torres’ mother Fernanda Montenegro (Central Station), the first Brazilian to be nominated for Best Actress, appears late in the film as the elderly Eunice.
• The Brazilian military dictatorship, also known as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on April 1, 1964 following a coup with support from the U.S. government. It lasted for 21 YEARS, ending in March 1985. It is estimated that 434 people were killed or went missing and another 20,000 were tortured.
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