One of the best things that movies can do is to help us remember the past and stop making the same mistakes over and over again. I’m Still Here has the doubly important purpose of documenting and pinpointing the impacts of a regime that censored all opposition – making the contemporaneous media commenting on the regime rare. But we are still within the lifetimes of those who are featured in this film, though its lead subject, Eunice Paiva, died in 2018. Still, through the memories and memoirs of her children, Walter Salles has crafted an important portrait.
Through some clever exposition, I’m Still Here efficiently gives us the historical context we need to understand the politics at play. In Brazil in 1964, a military dictatorship took power through a coup. As part of suppressing opposition, they revoked the tenures of several congressmen, including the patriarch of the Paiva family, Rubens. After a period of exile, he returned to Brazil and moved his family to Rio de Janeiro, where they live at the outset of the film.
In I’m Still Here, Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello) is unexpectedly taken from the family home by the military dictatorship under the pretense of a deposition. They also take Eunice (played by Fernanda Torres) and her daughter Eliana for interrogations. While Eunice and Eliana are returned to their home, Rubens is not. Eunice must then take action with friends and lawyers to force the government to publicly admit that they are holding Rubens, while investigating any word as to where he is being imprisoned. She also must pick up the pieces of her family and navigate her new life as a single parent.
I’m Still Here’s real-life story follows a familiar family drama narrative arc. It does some interesting things inside the lines of its genre trappings, but never really gets far outside where we expect it to go. The unique proposition of the film is to see a period in Brazil’s history that has been underrepresented. It is also a film that has broken out internationally in a way that is rare for South American film, becoming the continent’s film winner of Best International Feature at the Academy Awards.
That Academy Awards win was a bit of a surprise, as I’m Still Here won the Oscar over Emilia Perez, which received thirteen total nominations. Emilia Perez had become embroiled in controversy, and I’m Still Here represented a safer consensus pick for the Academy. But we should not lose sight of the importance of the win for I’m Still Here and additional nominations for Best Picture and Lead Actress. It is important recognition for a country that produces great films but remains a blind spot for many internationally.
I’m Still Here has its best moments in its first act, where it spends significant time showing the dynamics of the family and their way of life. Where family dramas can often feel austere, I’m Still Here injects jolts of energy, particularly through its portrayal of the family’s oldest daughter, Vera. By giving us so much time with the family before Rubens is taken away, the film gets us invested in their story.
After Rubens is taken, the most interesting facet of the film is the way that Eunice selectively hides information about Rubens’ status from her children. This prevents the film from fully valorizing her and gives us something to grapple with. Fernanda Torres’ performance really sells this aspect of the story, lovingly portraying a woman who stood up to political oppression but not shying away from aspects of her character that are ugly and hard to reconcile.
Beyond that plot thread, unfortunately, I’m Still Here doesn’t really pay off on the momentum it has created. Beyond a few standout scenes, the film feels like it is spinning its wheels for a long stretch of time in its back half. We also get not one, but two time jumps to show us later periods in the family’s history, but neither of them adds much depth or context to what has come before. It falls into the tropes of historical biopics, wanting to show us the full span of Eunice’s life but losing focus by doing so.
Despite these issues, I’m Still Here is a competently crafted film that has brought Brazilian film more to the forefront of international discussion, which is a positive development. It feels like a film that is using familiar language to explore a fresh topic. So even if some of the paths it goes down are well-tread, it is using them in service of an underrepresented message.
