I'm Still Here

Films featuring dark political themes are an acquired taste for many moviegoers, but, when they tell personal stories within such a context, they generally become more accessible for audience members, even those who might not ordinarily gravitate to pictures in this genre. That’s a goal expertly accomplished in the latest from director Walter Salles. This superb fact-based offering tells the heart-wrenching story of former Brazilian politician Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello) who, in 1971, was seized…

CinemaSerf

January 30, 2025

7/10

The Paiva family leads an ordinary life until one night when a knock on their door changes things for ever. Rubens (Selton Mello) was formerly a Labour Party congressman in Brazil but now that the military have taken over, he is suspected of ties with the outlawed Communists. He is taken away and shortly after his wife Eunice (Fernanda Torres) and their elder daughter is also taken in for interrogation. For the next twenty minutes or so as she spends an intangible time in jail, we are exposed to…

r96sk

February 27, 2025

8/10

<em>'I’m Still Here'</em> undoubtedly merits praise, it's an astutely made picture regarding a dark time in Brazilian history. The film's biggest plus, for me, is how warmly they portray the Paivas, it genuinely feels as if you are watching a real family; the actors play a big part in that, of course. Fernanda Torres is the standout, rightly so given she leads much of what we see. An excellent performance! Selton Mello sticks out too, as do all of the relatively younger cast members; e.g. Lui…

If anyone ever said that a child cannot fill the parent's shoes, Fernanda Torres's performance in "I'm Still Here" is a force to be reckoned with. It stands on par with her mother, Fernanda Montenegro's legendary reputation, the Grande Dame of Brazilian theater and film known for "Central Station" and "House of Sand." Remarkably, Montenegro appears in this film as the elderly, senile version of Eunice Paiva, having only recently retired at age 96. But this is Torres's film, and she commands ever…