After 14 uninterrupted minutes of standing ovation in Cannes last May, the Golden Globe winning and three time Oscar nominated I’m Still Here finally reaches the international big screens and showcases the essence of Brazilian cinema to the world. Its unprecedented nomination for Best Picture in the Academy Awards this year reveals an emerging appreciation of international film and the pivotal role it plays in expanding our horizons beyond the average American film. It is also a testament to the grandeur of Walter Salles’ production, which contends against elite Hollywoodian favourites, such as The Substance, Dune, andWicked.
Based on Marcelo Paiva’s memoir, the film dives into the reality of former leftist congressman Rubens Paiva’s family and the trauma that followed his questioning by the police.
Imagine: it’s January 1971 in Rio de Janeiro. A coup d’état triggered by an unsubstantiated so-called “communist threat” overtook the country with a military dictatorship seven years prior, with no end in sight. Government measures become stricter, censorship becomes tighter, unfounded interrogations become routine. Inside detention centres, innocent people undergo agonising torture. Despite friends and family finding refuge in London, the US, and neighbouring Latin American countries, the Paiva family remained in Rio de Janeiro, not knowing this would soon expedite Rubens’s disappearance. His wife, Eunice, is subsequently left with her five children and a lingering mystery, unaware of her status of a widow. At the age of 44, following the traumatic loss of her husband, she attends law school and dedicates the rest of her life to righting the governments’ wrongs and protecting vulnerable people’s fundamental human rights.
Golden Globe winner for Best Actress in a Drama, facing off well-established stars like Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, and Tilda Swinton, Fernanda Torres delivers a stellar performance portraying resilience, transformation, and, above all, hope. She pays a marvellous tribute to the Paiva family betrayed by their nation and forgotten for decades like countless others. During her numerous events promoting the film, on and off screen, she never ceased to be loyal to Eunice’s elegance, poise, and sobriety in appearance and behaviour.
In challenging times marked by political turmoil, unease, and distrust, I’m Still Here reminds us that the truth never fails to resurface. It is soul-shattering, refreshing, and unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. On Friday, 21 February, take your friends, partners, parents, siblings, and head to the cinema. Don’t forget to bring tissues.
“Fernanda Torres-68481” by Harald Krichel is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.