34/25
A mother is forced to reinvent herself when her family’s life is shattered by an act of arbitrary violence during the tightening of the military dictatorship in Brazil, 1971. Selected by the Brazilian Film Academy to compete for Best International Film at the 2025 Oscars. Eunice Paiva: Martha, you have to help me. My husband is in danger! Martha: Everyone is in danger, Eunice.. Featured in Mais Você: Episode of December 3, 2024 (2024). A Festa do Santo ReisWritten by Léo Maia (as Marcio Leonardo)Performed by Tim Maia. "I’m Still Here" it goes beyond being just another film about the military dictatorship, offering a human, intense and brutally intimate portrait of a family falling apart under overwhelming and uncontrollable forces. Walter Salles, with his raw style and unparalleled sensitivity, returns to the theme of a country plunged into repression, but instead of focusing on major political events, he focuses on their consequences in homes and personal lives. By centering the story on family drama, Salles subverts the expectations of a traditional historical film, avoiding documentary tones or a broad, structural focus. Here, 1970s Brazil is felt through the struggles of the Paiva family, and in the painful details of their shared wounds, Salles depicts the scars left by a dictatorship that, although distorted in collective memory, remains alive in the lives it shattered. Centering the narrative through the perspective of Eunice – played by the iconic Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro – lends the film an undeniable authenticity. As she deals with the loss of her husband, Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), a public figure and defender of the people’s rights, Eunice must hold the family together and maintain the emotional stability of her children. Eunice is the pure embodiment of resilience and maternal love, and her daily routine, her rituals with her children, and the moments shared as a family are slices of an ordinary life, now shattered by a sudden absence. Family dinners and memories of beach outings become painful when revisited after Rubens’ disappearance, as they reveal the empty space left by systemic violence. Salles skillfully uses this family intimacy to show how the dictatorship destroys emotional bonds and disrupts the peace of each home, leading the audience to reflect on how history is also shaped by losses and moments of silence in everyday life. Fernanda Torres’ performance deserves intense praise. She embodies a woman who refuses to let grief immobilize her, balancing her protection of her children with her relentless search for answers about her husband’s whereabouts. This balance of strength and vulnerability gives Eunice a striking and essential presence in the film. In a moving and remarkably mature performance, Montenegro, as the older Eunice, intensifies the impact of Rubens’ absence, bringing a heavy, almost physical silence that resonates with those who never had the chance to say goodbye. Montenegro and Torres’ real-life relationship as mother and daughter adds authenticity to the transitions over time, making Eunice’s portrayal even more heartfelt and believable. This authentic continuity allows Salles’ film to transcend mere fiction and reach a depth that only a personal story can achieve. Technically, the film is a visual achievement that captures the intimate pain of this family through meticulous cinematography. The use of confined spaces and close-ups reveals the characters’ physical and psychological isolation, mirroring the oppression that hangs over their lives. The soundtrack follows the most moving scenes with an almost mystical quality, blending with the characters’ feelings like a whisper holding the pains of the past. Salles’ use of music is interesting, not just to heighten the drama, but to evoke an almost palpable nostalgia in the air, an echo of absences that can never be overcome.