Film review: ‘I’M STILL HERE’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’
Set amid the febrile atmosphere of the early 1970s Brazilian military dictatorship, I’m Still Here, which is based on the book of the same name by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, is a sobering true story of political oppression and family resilience. This is, in almost all respects, an exquisite piece of filmmaking but given the subject matter, it doesn’t emotionally shirtfront us the way it should.
In 1964, the Brazilian military staged a coup that ousted President João Goulart. Desperate to squash any left-wing resistance, the regime reportedly tortured and ‘disappeared’ thousands of suspected dissidents. As I’m Still Here recounts, the dictatorship’s tendrils even reached into people’s homes, snatching those such as engineer and former congressman Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello). The film recounts how, In 1971, as a result of his support for left wing activists (the film is keen to point out Rubens denounced violence) he was abducted by armed government thugs and taken for interrogation. Unsure if Rubens was ever to be released, his wife Eunice (Fernanda Torres) – who along with her eldest daughter Veroca (Valentina Herszage) was also interrogated – desperately sought answers about his fate while trying to hold her young family together and protect her children from the brutal reality closing around them.
The film’s focus quickly shifts to Eunice and Fernanda Torres is superb in the role. She convincingly captures Eunice’s initial easy-going naïveté about her husband’s political involvement then her rapidly growing determination to salvage a life for her children and to pursue justice. Eunice was clearly a remarkable person and her career transition in later life would itself make a fascinating film. While she is the centre of the story, the script gives each family member enough focus to allow us a sense of their personalities and their way of coping with the upheaval in their lives.
Given this is a story of family trauma and political drama that contains multiple characters and traverses several decades, I’m Still Here could have been unwieldy and confusing. Critically, screenwriters Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega have shaped this intricate story into a clear narrative.
This is also a wonderfully crafted film as director Walter Salles (On the Road) superbly captures the 1970s milieu. Some contemporary movies set in the 1970‘s look phony as if characters are at a retro-themed costume party but this feels completely organic. A very well-chosen collection of songs from the era also add to that sense of time and place while a subtly powerful score from Warren Ellis enhances the sense of foreboding.
There are, however, issues with this film’s tone and pacing. Salles clearly wanted to convey the sense of something sinister occurring beneath the surface of an otherwise normal world. Much of the film’s first half is a matter-of-fact depiction of the family’s joyous even idyllic life in their cluttered home and on Rio’s beaches. While the film’s second half is more concerned with the impact political persecution had on the family, the film’s tone doesn’t change much. For some, this will seem an appropriate way of conveying that, eerily, life went on as normal for most people but this approach feels a little one note and restrained, particularly given what must have been an emotionally arduous experience.
While I’m Still Here could arguably have pushed more emotional buttons, its quality as cinema is undeniable and its messages about political oppression and the importance of family still resonate powerfully.
Nick’s rating: ****
Genre: Drama/ Historical/ Biopic
Classification: M.
Director(s): Walter Salles.
Release date: 27th Feb 2025.
Running time: 137 mins.
Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.