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I’m Still Here Movie Review

I’m Still Here is a 2024 Brazilian drama film directed by Walter Salles and starring Fernanda Torres. This is easily one of the best movies of the year.

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“Martha, you gotta help me. My husband is in danger!

Everybody’s in danger, Eunice“

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Eunice Paiva begins a lonely battle to learn the truth behind the disappearance of her husband, former PTB deputy Rubens Paiva, while trying to keep her family together. This is one of those films that require some background knowledge to fully understand what’s going on or to do your homework after watching the film about the history of Brazil during the early seventies and the political upheaval that was going on back then.

The movie is very minimalistic in the details that it gives its audiences when it comes to historical facts, which was a bit frustrating, but for the most part this was a stellar choice as documentaries should pursue facts while narrative films should focus on more important aspects such as plot, characterization and emotional engagement, which this one has in spades.

This is such a wonderful human-interest story, the likes of which we rarely see in contemporary cinema. This is why it has the potential to appeal to not just critics and cinephiles but more regular moviegoers as well. It’s very universal in its appeal while still being so phenomenally made across the board that it would take the biggest cynics to find flaws in it. I do get why some would think that the ending is a filler, but I wholeheartedly disagree as it felt like emotional closure to me that was so perfect and so touching that it made me tear up.

This is the story of resilience and defiance above all else. There is this wonderful moment in the second half when the journalists are photographing the family and asking them to be gloomy, but they defy them and instead pose joyously. This scene perfectly captures the spirit of the entire film that is all about going forward and persevering in spite of everything stacked against you. Yes, we will never forget the loss of our loved ones, but we also must not dwell on the past but focus on the present and the future, and this drama deftly emphasizes the utmost importance of just plowing through life with dignity.

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Nowhere is that dignity and bravery more evident than in the central character of Eunice Paiva played so phenomenally by Fernanda Torres. She’s the daughter of the great Fernanda Montenegro and both women are the only Brazilian actresses to ever be nominated for an Oscar and deservedly so. This is a powerhouse performance that is emotionally charged and intimate. Torres effortlessly challenged Eunice’s inner strength as the woman had to take care of her family and put her broken heart aside, which led to an acting turn that is wonderfully subtle and nuanced. In every moment you see a lot of emotional turmoil brewing on her face, which is the testament to her evident acting talents.

But others also impressed, especially Selton Mello. He deserves more love for delivering such a potent performance in a smaller role. The scene where they basically kidnap him in front of his family was incredible and Mello deftly sold the character’s strength and dignity even in the worst of circumstances. And of course we have that ending where Fernanda Montenegro herself appeared as older Eunice. This was just an immensely emotional scene and it was a brilliant choice to cast Montenegro as the two really look alike, which led to the scene being emotional in the context of the story and real life at the same time.

I’m Still Here isn’t universal in one thing – it’s about a family that was clearly quite privileged. But the director still brilliantly found a way to use their evident fortune as a terrific plot device. The first act is full of warm and joyous vibes as we see the family enjoying their life to the fullest. We see glimpses of bad things to come through the news and the presence of military vehicles on the streets, all of this leading to that faithful day when the military arrives to their house and takes Rubens with them, disrupting their paradise in an instant. This led to the two halves being distinctly different, but both are excellent in their own right.

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Walter Salles directed the movie with a lot of conviction. The film flows well, it’s consistently engaging, and it’s also very well written in both dialogue and plot scenarios. It’s a very grounded movie that never at all felt overly manipulative or implausible. It all made sense and the interactions with the children felt genuinely earnest. This family felt like a real family unit.