Brazil's Fifth Republic, established in a coup in 1964, had been in existence for nearly seven years when government officials showed up at Rubens Paiva's house. A former congressman who had been outspoken about regime change at the time, Paiva has now retired from politics and works as an engineer in Rio de Janeiro. Still, the men asked him questions about left-wing groups that may or may not have been involved in the recent kidnappings. They asked him to accompany them back to the local police station. They assured him it was completely routine. Paiva put on his suit and tie, said goodbye to his wife, and drove away with the officials. His family never saw him again.
I'm still here, Brazilian director Walter Salles's politically charged drama recreates the moment with a casual sense of detachment rather than leading the audience by the nose to make the necessary emotional response — even if you don't know Pavas' story. , you will also immediately feel that something devastating is happening before your eyes. There is no need to gooseify anything. About 30 minutes into the film, Rubens (Selton Melo) is ushered out of his home, and we're already with him, his wife Eunice (Fernanda Torres), and their happy, chaotic children They spent a lot of time together - the Muppet Children. The loving couple entertained guests in their lovely home, enjoyed sumptuous meals and beach time with the kids, and sent their eldest daughter Vera (Valentina Herzage) to live with friends in London Together, they dance passionately to tropical music in their front room. Their lives are good until they are interrupted by a knock on the door from a stranger and an immediate dyadic relationship is established. There was a before and a after, and now there is a after.
A hit in its home country and likely to be nominated for an Oscar in multiple categories (especially one category). I'm still here You'd be wise to know what's at stake here, and take the time before tragedy strikes to give you an incredible sense of the devastation that ensues when political violence truly reaches your doorstep. But the film also lets you know who the focus of the story is, and how the junta's rule gradually normalized the slow tightening of the noose. An opening disclaimer sets the scene: Rio, 1970, "under a military dictatorship." The first person we see is Eunice, floating on her back in the ocean, enjoying the sunny afternoon. The first thing we hear is the sound of a military helicopter whizzing overhead, interrupting her reverie. Later, as the family was taking photos together, Eunice suddenly looked past the camera into the distance. She noticed several trucks full of soldiers passing in the street. Her smile faltered. The Paivas are still here, but the trucks are far, far away. at present.
Viewers unfamiliar with the full scope of what happened during that dark period of Brazilian history will get a crash primer - a necessary one, given the "nostalgia" expressed by the country's current establishment for those days of oppressive military rule remind everyone How the “good old days” can be weaponized so easily. For most, however, the biggest takeaway may be the introduction to the actor at the center of it all. Part movie star, part Brazilian national treasure, Fernanda Torres is a major talent from show business; her mother is Fernanda Montenegro, who is an equally beloved icon, becoming the first Brazilian actor to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in the 1998 film "Oscar for Best Actress." Central Station.
(Trivia fans take note: that early film was return Directed by Salles, while Montenegro didn't win an Academy Award, she did win a Golden Globe - the exact same award Torres herself just won. I'm still here A few weeks ago. Montenegro herself appears in the epilogue, playing Eunice, an older woman. )
To say that Torres delves deeply into the character of Eunice Paiva, who spent much of her life trying to claim responsibility for her husband's disappearance, would be an understatement. It's a showcase for her and a notable TV series based on a true story, although it respects the enormity and emotional weight of Paiva's real-life experiences. But it was the kind of role that allowed someone of her ability to play scales and gave Torres the opportunity to pay homage to a public figure who doubled as a resistance fighter (Rubens's disappearance made international headlines); Both caring about children and doing your best to protect them from personal loss and the fallout from the bigger picture; her courage is tested when she and her daughter Eliana (Louisa Kossovsky) are also brought in for questioning, and Eunice is subsequently detained for nearly a week ; She sacrifices everything in the name of her family and finds out what happened after her husband waved goodbye.
Later, in the first of two flash-forwards, Torres shows you what happens when the ending you've been looking for for decades finally and inevitably arrives. Remarkably, even when the film itself gets heavy-handed in the second half, she never oversells anything or comes off too easily pretentious and rip-roaring. It's such a nuanced performance that it doesn't matter whether Torres gets a Best Actress Oscar nomination to match her mother. Yes, it will ensure more attention is paid to the film, which, while a hit in Brazil, may have been lost to the white noise background of the early winter gold rush. but I'm still here Regardless, it's a testament to Torres. She's already garnering attention for her stunning work on this deeply moving and stirring ode to life under dictatorship, which feels more authentic than one might feel comfortable with. She deserves everyone's praise.