I'm Still Here

"I'm Still Here" is a powerful portrayal of a moment in Brazilian history that traumatized many people. In a well-constructed atmosphere, the viewer enters the past of a country, a past that is disowned and ignored by the country itself, and this makes the experience of watching "I'm Still Here" in a movie theater in Brazil even more powerful. Of all the Brazilian filmmakers, Walter Salles stands out with his talented direction and interesting photography, and the production is truly impressive. The actors are talented and I want to highlight the younger actors, who certainly give the film a touch of depth and beauty necessary for us to feel the "magic of cinema". Regarding the kind human side present in "I'm Still Here", it is wonderful to see a film by a filmmaker who truly understands cinema, who does not present alienated ideas but rather pure and genuine human expression. As a Brazilian, of course, I will be rooting for Walter Salles' work to be nominated for an Oscar, but I think the goal of making national cinema talked about again has already been achieved. Beautiful film, beautiful message and beautiful performances.

Greetings again from the darkness. True stories are often at the heart of many movies each year. However, there are true stories and then there is the story of the Paiva family. Marcelo Rubens Paiva has written two books, which along with numerous interviews with family and friends, serve as the basis for this film from famed Brazilian director Walter Salles (THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES.2004). The screenplay comes from co-writers Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega.

Unless you are a history scholar, it's highly unlikely you can recite the various Latin America dictatorships and military coups over the past decades. Yet you surely know they have happened, and that many innocent people and families have been victimized. The Paiva family is one example, and their story is gut-wrenching. The film begins in Rio de Janeiro in 1970 when military rule was in place. Director Salles affords us plenty of time to get to know architect Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), his wife Eunice (Fernanda Torres), and their five kids. Theirs is a happy family living a pleasant and comfortable life ... gatherings on the beach, music and dancing, family meals and photos. In one moment, the happiness fades and things change forever.

A group of men show up to escort Rubens (a long-ago local Congressman) in for a deposition. He smiles and tells the family that he will be back soon. The saga of this family is torturous to watch. Eunice and her oldest daughter are soon taken in and held for questioning in what appears to be some type of prison or military facility. They learn Rubens is accused of being a communist. Eunice's return home is a beautifully filmed sequence, as it's nighttime and the kids are sleeping.

The next morning's reunion is touching, yet now the reality has hit for the older daughters. Eunice kicks into strong woman mode to protect her "babies". The story shifts significantly here since the wage earner is gone. Eunice sells the house and the family moves to Sao Paulo. Eunice handles the extreme stress, continues caring for her kids, and never stops trying to find out about Rubens.

The journey of Eunice could easily fill a movie, however, Salles chooses to jump ahead 25 years (to 1996) and then again to 2014, when the family is together and wheelchair bound and Alzheimer's stricken Eunice is played by 95-year-old Fernanda Montenegro (Oscar nominated for CENTRAL STATION, 1998), the real-life mother of Fernanda Torres. During these segments, we figure out what an impressive woman Eunice is and how much she has accomplished through determination. It's likely a death certificate has never been more valued or more pursued than the one Eunice finally receives. We also see her son Marcelo is now physically disabled, yet becoming famous as a writer.

Director Walter Salles knew the Paiva family quite well when he was young, and his personal connection shines through in this ode to a family shattered by political turmoil. Fernanda Torres delivers a stunning performance with more emotional depth than just about any other acting performance we've seen this year. Salles details that more than 20,000 citizens were tortured and held captive over these years, and via the closing credits he runs archival photos and a recap of history. Seeing the stress and turmoil of a previously happy family is not an easy watch, yet perhaps the accomplishments of Eunice help offset some of the pain.

I'm Still Here is a very special film. It has a story that makes the viewer very interested in seeing how it unfolds. However, what this film has the best quality for is the Fernanda Torres' performance is moving, captivating, one of the best performances I've ever seen. It's truly surreal how talented she is, just like her mother. Furthermore, the film is directed by Walter Salles who had already worked on the excellent film Central Station, with Fernanda Montenegro, in this film he shows himself to be very competent. He is a very talented guy in what he does. Overall, I'm Still Here is the best foreign film of the year, a beautiful movie.

Adapted from the novel by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, "I'm Still Here" actually improves on the book by focusing on the Paiva family and how every member was startled and heartbroken by the disappearance of their father (played with deep affection by Selton Mello). Anchored by a powerhouse performance by Fernanda Torres as the matriarch Eunice, the film narrates the horrors of the Brazilian dictatorship without ever being preachy or heavy-handed. By focusing on the human aspects and the sense of loss of those people who never got and answer about their loved one's disappearance, the script gets more powerful as it goes along. All the performances from the young actors are top-notch - a rare feat in Brazilian cinema - but it is Fernanda Torres incredibly restrained performance that really stays with you. She's persuasive and moving without ever being melodramatic, in a masterful work. This is the best Brazilian film in years, a gift from director Walter Salles ("Central Station"). Pay attention to the brief but powerful cameo by Fernanda Montenegro (an Oscar nominee for "Central Station") at the very end. "I'm Still Here" is a movie to cherish and to hold.

"I'm Still Here" goes beyond being just another film about the military dictatorship, offering a human, intense, and brutally intimate portrait of a family unraveling under overwhelming, uncontrollable forces. Walter Salles, with his raw style and unmatched sensitivity, returns to the theme of a country immersed in repression, but rather than focusing on big political events, he zeroes in on their consequences within homes and personal lives. By centering the story on family drama, Salles subverts the expectation of a traditional historical film, avoiding documentary tones or a broad, structural focus. Here, 1970s Brazil is felt through the struggles of the Paiva family, and in the painful details of their shared wounds, Salles portrays the scars left by a dictatorship that, while distorted in collective memory, remains alive in the lives it shattered.

Choosing to center the narrative through Eunice's perspective-played by the iconic Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro-lends the film an undeniable authenticity. While dealing with the loss of her husband, Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), a public figure and defender of the people's rights, Eunice has to keep the family together and maintain her children's emotional stability. Eunice is the pure embodiment of resilience and motherly love, and her daily routine, her rituals with her children, and moments shared as a family are slices of a once-ordinary life, now wrecked by an abrupt absence. Family dinners and memories of beach outings become painful when revisited after Rubens' disappearance, as they reveal the empty space left by systemic violence. Salles skillfully uses this family intimacy to show how dictatorship destroys emotional bonds and disrupts each home's peace, prompting audiences to reflect on how history is also shaped by losses and silent moments in everyday life.

Fernanda Torres' performance is intensely deserving of praise. She embodies a woman who refuses to let grief immobilize her, balancing the protection of her children with the relentless search for answers about her husband's whereabouts. This balance between strength and vulnerability gives Eunice a striking and essential presence in the film. In a moving and remarkably mature performance, Montenegro, as the older Eunice, intensifies the impact of Rubens' absence, bringing a heavy, almost physical silence that resonates in those who never got the chance to say goodbye. The real-life relationship between Montenegro and Torres as mother and daughter adds authenticity to the transitions across time, making Eunice's portrayal even more heartfelt and believable. This genuine continuity allows Salles' film to transcend mere fiction and reach a depth that only a personal story can achieve.

Technically, the film is a visual achievement that captures this family's intimate pain through meticulously crafted cinematography. The use of confined spaces and close-up shots reveals the characters' physical and psychological confinement, mirroring the oppression that hangs over their lives. The soundtrack follows the most emotional scenes with an almost mystical quality, blending with the characters' feelings like a whisper that holds the pains of the past. Salles' use of music is interesting, not just to intensify the drama but to evoke an almost tangible nostalgia in the air, an echo of absences that can never be overcome. This balance between aesthetics and emotion transforms the film into both a tribute to interrupted lives and a celebration of the struggle for justice and memory.

The narrative avoids an easy or simplistic conclusion, choosing instead a more contemplative view on the lasting impact of loss. The film moves forward in time, showing us the future of each family member without offering conclusive or comforting answers. What remains is the pain, an indignation turned into strength, and a refusal to let difficult moments fade into oblivion. Rubens' absence and the commitment of Eunice and her children to preserving his memory result in a catharsis for the audience, as it's both inspiring and deeply moving to see how they, even amid so much pain, resist the urge to let Rubens' legacy be erased-and the film's goal to evoke tears was masterfully achieved, at least for me.

Overall, "I'm Still Here" is one of those rare historical films that, instead of adopting a documentary or openly critical stance, takes a humanistic approach that resonates with our deepest emotions and values. Salles proves his mastery as a filmmaker by crafting a story that is, at once, infuriating and inspiring-a work that reminds us of the importance of keeping the memories and voices of the wronged alive. Through a captivating narrative and an extraordinary cast, he turns the story of a Brazilian family into a universal reminder of human dignity and the importance of memory as a form of resistance.