- Drama, History
- 138 min
- PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes97%Metacritic85IMDb8.2
When a mother's courage defies tyranny, hope is reborn.
A woman married to a former politician during the 1971 military dictatorship in Brazil is forced to reinvent herself and chart a new course for her family after a violent and arbitrary act.
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Character
Earnest, grave, classical in form and contemplative.
- earnestironic
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
- contemplativerelentless
- unpretentiousprestige
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- badelfon TMDB · Dec 202510/10
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 every frame. Torres balances the complicated vectors of Latin family strength, class values, societal mores, and maternal responsibilities—all while suffering with a "disappeared" husband and lover. She manages this with an aplomb that few of us could ever hope to muster in such circumstances. It's a performance of quiet devastation and iron resilience. The soundtrack functions not as complement but as essential character, reinforcing music's power as resistance, expression, and historical preservation. During Brazil's 1970s dictatorship, lyrics required government approval before recording, making subtle and metaphorical language an art form to challenge censorship. "I'm Still Here" uses Brazil
Read the whole review on TMDB - r96skon TMDB · Feb 20258/10
<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. Luiza Kosovski and Valentina Herszage. There isn't anyone onscreen who puts a foot wrong. I will say that I don't think this needed to be a 138 minute movie, there are a couple of moments where I felt like it was going to conclude and it didn't. This isn't a major detail though, because it is a film of sturdy quality and is most definitely worth viewing.
Read the whole review on TMDB - CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jan 20257/10
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 some of the most effective cinematic menace I've ever felt. There is no graphic violence nor very little angry dialogue. Indeed, there isn't a great deal of actual physical threat at all. Her imprisonment and her deprivation of information is the stick they beat her with and it's profoundly traumatic. When she is released a week later, she returns home to find nobody has or will disclose any information about her missing husband. As time goes by she and their family have to come to terms with both the emotional and the practical implications as they try to look to the future, unsure of what's in their past. It's perhaps easy to forget amidst the militaristic history of 1970s South America t
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Cast
- Fernanda TorresEunice Paiva
- Fernanda MontenegroEunice Paiva (Older)
- Selton MelloRubens Paiva
- Valentina HerszageVeroca
- Maria ManoellaVeroca
- Bárbara LuzNalu
- Gabriela Carneiro da CunhaNalu
- Luiza KosovskiEliana
- Marjorie EstianoEliana
- Pri HelenaZezé
Crew
- Walter SallesDirector
- Murilo HauserScreenplay
- Heitor LoregaScreenplay
- Adrian TeijidoDirector of Photography
- Warren EllisOriginal Music Composer
- Affonso GonçalvesEditor
- Maria Carlota BrunoProducer
- Walter SallesProducer
- Rodrigo TeixeiraProducer
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