If you’ve been keeping up with the Oscars, chances are you’ve heard of the film that won the Best International Film Award this weekend: Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here.” The Brazilian film, starring Fernanda Torres, has achieved worldwide recognition for its incredible acting and beautiful cinematography. Although I knew it would likely be a very good movie due to the hype I’d seen on social media, I didn’t realize that it would knock me off my feet.
“I’m Still Here” covers the tale of the upper-middle-class Paiva family, who lived in Rio de Janeiro during Brazil’s cruel military dictatorship that lasted from 1964 to 1985. Despite much civil unrest, the tone of the film is cheerful and familial in the early stages. Other than moments such as a scene where the eldest daughter in the family, Vera, was pulled over by the military and details like a group from the government driving by during the family’s day on the beach, the unrest was generally in the background of the story. However, once Rubens Paiva, the father and a former Congressman, is arrested randomly, the family is put under government surveillance and the entire tone shifts.
The sudden shift from joyful scenes to tense ones in which the family doesn’t know Rubens’ whereabouts or whether he’s alive is striking to watch. Torres was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Eunice Paiva in the film, which was fully deserved. Her portrayal of a woman desperately trying to hold her family together is sobering and painstakingly emotional. While the story spans decades, Torres’ presence is the heart and soul of the movie — her character isn’t perfect, but she’s real.
In fact, coming to the realization that the plot of “I’m Still Here” is completely real and something that happened to countless families in Brazil was incredibly grounding.
Torres, whose character is the centerpiece of the film, tugged at my heartstrings so expertly that by the end of the film, it was safe to say that I was sobbing. Although I cry easily at movies (I cried during “Wonka,” but is that really so bad?), this was one that I could feel the lingering impact of days later. “I’m Still Here” is one of those movies that you’ll never forget — but just remember to bring a box of tissues because it’s a real tearjerker.
