Scene from “I’m Still Here.” Photo by Sony Classics.
In the real-life story of “I’m Still Here,” Eunice Paiva must find a new way to live after her family is separated during the Brazilian dictatorship in the 1970s.
For Walter Salles, directing joy onscreen flows so naturally it’s almost documentary-like. “I’m Still Here,” the latest film from the Brazilian maestro, opens idyllically, a family day on the beach in 1970 Rio de Janeiro—volleyball, family photos with an adopted dog, lit cigarettes, noses in books under faded umbrellas, teenagers using cola as suntan lotion, and the whir of an 8-millimeter camera. Joy is textural here: immediate. But there are trucks in the streets full of soldiers, and the country is under the fascist rule of military dictatorship.
“I’m Still Here” follows the real-life journey of Eunice Paiva, played with delicacy and quiet power in an absolute must-see performance by Fernanda Torres. When her husband is taken in for questioning for suspected insurgent activity and never returns, Paiva must figure out how to make do as a wife to a missing husband, a single mother to their five children—not all of whom are old enough to understand what’s going on—and a living, breathing human being, for her own sake and the sake of everyone around her.
The history of the dictatorship in Brazil may not be common knowledge to every American viewer, but it’s a familiar story, echoing patterns of fascist rule that litter the 20th century. Anyone suspected of communism or anti-regime ideology is marked a terrorist.
But while the story may feel familiar, what feels so admirable and necessary about this film is its perspective. This is not a film about survival in the face of fascism. It’s a film about living in the midst of it, and it’s universal and human in its depiction of a rich, true and personal life.
Twenty-five years ago, Fernanda Montenegro became Brazil’s first nominee at the Golden Globes for her performance in Salles’ “Central Station.” Today, with her win at the Golden Globes for “Best Actress in a Drama,” her daughter, Fernanda Torres, is the first Brazilian winner of a Golden Globe Award, for Salles’ “I’m Still Here.” And the full-circle moment couldn’t be more deserved. Torres is pitch-perfect, elevated and centered by a superb supporting cast and tactful direction from Salles—and the throughline is joy.
The image I’m left resonating with after “I’m Still Here” is the Paiva family, bent and torn by circumstance and torture, posing for a family photo year after year.
“No need to smile,” says the photographer. “You know, less happy.”
“He wants us sad,” says Eunice, laughing with her children. “We’ll smile.”
“I’m Still Here” opens at Midtown Cinema in February.
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
February Events
At Midtown Cinema
Potential First Run Releases
“The Seed of the Sacred”
“I’m Still Here”
“Oscar Shorts 2025”
“Becoming Led Zeppelin”
“Armand”
“Parthenope”
Open Mic Night
Tuesdays, Feb. 4 & 18 at 7 p.m.
Trivia Night
Tuesdays, Feb. 11 & 25 at 7 p.m.
National Theatre Live
“The Motive and the Cue”
Sunday, Feb. 2 at 5 p.m.
“Prima Facie”
Sunday, Feb. 9 at 5 p.m.
“Fleabag”
Sunday, Feb. 16 at 5 p.m.
“The Importance of Being Earnest”
Sunday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.
Late Night Frights
“Suspiria” (1977)
Friday, Feb. 7 at 9:30 p.m.
“It Follows” (2014)
Friday, Feb. 14 at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday Docs Series
“13th” (2016)
Sunday, Feb. 9 at 12 p.m.
Funny Flix Series
“Galaxy Quest” (1999)
Sunday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m.
3rd in the Burg Movie Night
“The Matrix” (1999)
Friday, Feb. 21 at 9:30 p.m.
Down in Front! Comedy Riffing
“The Touch of Satan” (1971)
Friday, Feb. 28 at 9:30 p.m.
