I’m Still Here – Michael’s Moments
Eunice: Martha, you gotta help me. My husband is in danger!
Martha: Everybody’s in danger, Eunice.
I haven’t seen three other nominees in the International Feature category, but I can understand why I’m Still Here won the Oscar. And I can understand why Brazilian and American audiences, and worldwide critics, all agree that this is one of the top films of the year. The Brazilian docudrama I’m Still Here deserves all these credits, and probably more.
For discussion of why it is a good movie, see the sections below. In this section, I want to talk about why it is such an important movie. And the reason is because it so powerfully depicts the power of national political events to affect and forever alter our personal lives. Governments don’t exist in a vacuum. They achieve their power because of what we, the people they “govern,” allow them to do. The more control we give up to them, the more they will control us. It is a simple equation and one we have apparently forgotten.
This isn’t the first movie to make us think about such things. This one is from Brazil, but in the recent past, we’ve seen Argentina, 1985 (obviously from Argentina), and The Eternal Memory (from Chile). All three of these movies deal with how military dictatorships in their countries have worked to realign power structures to serve the needs of the elite of the moment. More importantly, though, these films show the intersection between the exercise of government power and the danger it poses for the lives of the people who live under that power.
I am writing this the afternoon after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to push forward Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which emasculates the Medicaid and SNAP social support programs, extends and expands massive tax cuts for billionaires (who already pay the lowest effective tax rate in decades), and increases the federal budget deficit by more than a $Trillion (which is unnerving investor support in U.S. Treasury bonds). Anyone with half a brain can see that this will not lead to anything good. But the legislative branch of our government continues to abdicate responsibility.
The right-wing politicians are correct about one thing – our Congress is dysfunctional. Instead of carving out manageable pieces of legislation that can be effectively researched, debated, and modified over time, what they do is bottle everything up until the last possible moment and then release a massive “Big Beautiful Bill” that nobody has the time to thoroughly understand. But what that means is that insidious pieces of legislation can be inserted in a huge document that manages to get missed by most of the people trying to understand it.
Robert Reich today documented a clause in the bill the House passed today that is particularly troubling. It severely restricts the ability of the courts to apply criminal contempt of court charges to executive branch employees. Since the legislative branch has effectively ceded all their functions to the executive, then this will remove the ability of the judicial branch to add any muscle to their rulings against the executive – the last check and balance will be gone. (Argentina, Brazil, Chile – we might be late, but we’re going to join you!)
So I’m Still Here isn’t just an exposition of what happened in Brazil 60 years ago. It also is a foretelling of what could very well happen here in the U.S. Remember too that our Orange Turd President wants a military parade on his birthday next month. Next up: “Show me your papers!”
As Martha said: “We are all in danger!”
I’m Still Here – Story and Tone:
I’m Still Here is based on a true story – there really was a Paiva family and what happens in this movie, generally, happened to them. That makes this movie a docudrama and I, normally, am highly skeptical of this genre because there are usually no guardrails protecting the veracity of what you see on the screen. So the movie is generating emotions in the viewer that are intended for the real people involved, but we don’t know if they are truly justified.
There are some facts that lend this movie enhanced credibility. For one thing, the screenplay (Murilo Hauser/Hector Lorega) is based on a book, I’m Still Here, that was written by Marcelo Paiva, one of the children, and published in 2015. For another, the director, Walter Salles, was a personal friend of the Paiva family from age 13. The filmmakers have huge credibility in their understanding of the dynamics of the family and the events of the time.
The story behind I’m Still Here is a horrible one and the movie clearly paints the devastation caused by an out-of-control military dictatorship. The first thirty minutes of the film is a terrific example of setting the stage. The family dynamics have their moments, but the love for each other and their exuberance for life are made crystal clear. They live near a beach; adopt a dog; throw parties, play in the street, and have great family dinners. The Mom (Eunice) and the Dad (Rubens) obviously love each other.
At the same time, there are some ominous signs. Rubens is up to something and we never know what it is. Meanwhile, political oppression is increasing – kidnappings are on TV and Veroca, the oldest daughter, is harassed at a military checkpoint. Happy family; not-so-happy world.
I’m not going to explain much more of the story because that is the pleasure, or should I say, horror, that is the movie’s right to tell. The film never portrays outright violence and yet the emotional pain and suffering is all very poignant. As best it can, the movie ends on an upbeat note. This is an important and urgent story that needs to be seen!
Related Movies: (None I am aware of.)
I’m Still Here – Storytellers
This is a Brazilian movie, made in Brazil with Brazilian actors speaking the Portuguese language. Only two Brazilian actors have ever received Oscar nominations, and they are both in I’m Still Here. While the movie belongs to Eunice/Torres, the family dynamics created in the first thirty minutes are treasures. The facial similarities between the children are remarkable.
Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres) – This movie is, ultimately, about the strength of character of Eunice Paiva, who manages to hold her family closely together and still challenge a military dictatorship. This is the last of the five movies nominated for Best Actress, and in my opinion, Torres’s role here is more demanding and better executed than Mikey Madison’s Oscar winning performance in Anora. Madison was good, but Torres conveys much more emotional maturity in the face of staggering opposition. You will note that Eunice never cries – according to her children, the real Eunice never did, so they removed all scenes in the film where Torres broke down. Instead, her fears, angers, and a few reserved joys are all on display through her resolve and conviction to keep her family strong and not be beaten by the awful regime.
Eunice Paiva (in 2015) (Fernanda Montenegro) – Some viewers mistakenly ascribe aging CGI as how the film ages Eunice some 50 years later. Yes, the features are similar, but that’s because they recruited Fernanda Torres’s mother to play her in her 90s. Montenegro is also the only other Brazilian to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. (It’s a cameo appearance but still a lot of fun.)
Rubens Paiva (Skelton Mello) – Rubens is the father and a remarkably loving and involved one at that. At least until he isn’t…
Veroca (Valentina Herszage) – Veroca is the eldest daughter, in high school, and is wonderfully played by a beautiful young Brazilian actress who we will likely see more of. There is an interesting plot twist early on in the movie that results in her being removed from the family. She does return later. She plays as a reminder of the political involvement and exposure the family faces.
Related Movies: (None I am aware of)
I’m Still Here – Movie Magic
Part of what makes docudramas work well is how much the filmmakers choose to integrate artifacts from the true story. In I’m Still Here, they not only chose actors who look very similar to the real Paivas, but because they did look similar, they were able to introduce a few photographs of the real family into the filming. I’m not just talking about the usual scene at the end of similar movies where the real people are shown through multiple family pictures. Rather, during the movie itself, we sometimes see photos of the real family. The editing is tight enough that the movie feels almost like a mystery as you await the next, unpredictable event.
Instead of the more economical method of shooting all scenes in one location, regardless of chronology, I’m Still Here filmmakers shot the film in strict time and date order. The intent was to propel the actors through the same set of events and therefore emotions as the real Paiva family experienced them.
One of the neat cinematographic techniques used here is the reliance on 1960s recordings to capture events. Much of the story revolves around members of the family recording video or camera snapshots. In an age before the ubiquitous cellphone selfie, family moments were often captured with the old-style methods, and they play well in this movie as 60s memories.
Additionally, the camera seems to soften the images in a way that reminds me of 60s movie technology. Today, we are used to sharp images that millions of pixels can bring us, but we tend to forget that such imagery is relatively recent. Movies of 60 years ago didn’t have that kind of clarity, and the filmmakers wisely chose to emulate the look and feel of the time. The effect is to enhance authenticity.
Related Movies: May December; The Lost Daughter; The Edge of Democracy (Film Editing)
I’m Still Here – World Building
The world of the Paiva family is that of a relatively well-off family— he’s an architect— living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A family with five kids, they have a live-in assistant (maid/cook/nanny, etc.) and they live within a short walking distance of one of Rio’s famed beaches. Their home, a three-story row house, is more than ample for the family. It is my understanding that the original home that the Paivas lived in during the 60s has been torn down, so the filmmakers located a similar one in a nearby neighborhood. Their cars and clothing don’t seem all that luxurious, but they do seem to enjoy the “devices” of the sixties, including a sound system, VCRs, and cameras. The only rather remarkable “makeup” in the film is the dirt and grime Eunice brings home with her after being detained in an unknown location for nearly two weeks. The shower scene where she washes off her experience is a silent and profound statement of her ordeal. (Produced by the Brazilian movie industry, I couldn’t find anyone in the Production, Costume, or Makeup Design functions that I recognized or that had any relationship to the Oscars. This is a common problem for my review process with international features.)
Related Movies: ( None I could find!)
I’m Still Here – Sound & Music
I don’t have a whole lot extra to add about the sound design and the musical score either. Recording accurately the conversations at a party is difficult to achieve, but we hear everyone as if we were at the dinner table. As for the music, the score is by Warren Ellis who also did the music for Blonde. I usually listen to the soundtrack of a movie while I’m researching and writing it, but Apple Music didn’t have it, so I couldn’t even do that. I don’t remember the music being overly obvious, which is probably a good thing in a movie like this.
Related Movies: The Substance (Sound)/ Blonde (Music)
I’m Still Here – What Others Think
Oscar Buzz – I’m Still Here received three nominations: Best Picture and Leading Actress, and it won the Oscar for International Feature. With an OQI of 8 points, the movie ranks eighth out of all 24 general interest movies.
Oscar nominations for I’m Still Here:
Best Picture
Leading Actress (Fernanda Torres)
International Feature (Brazil) WINNER
Audience Sentiment – Popular ratings for I’m Still Here – it scores an 85 – rank the film first out of all 24 general interest movies tied with Dune: Part Two and The Wild Robot. No doubt the enthusiastic response of the Brazilian population accounts for much of the high ratings. Audience comments include “I am a woman, hear me roar”; “Acting School”; “Is it that good? The answer is a resounding yes” and “The story of a family, the story of a country…”
Critical Reviews – And this is one of those rare cases where the critics – with a rating of 86 – agree with the audience rating. Only behind Anora, and tied with The Brutalist, The Wild Robot, A Real Pain, and Nickel Boys, my combined critical rating places I’m Still Here second out of all 24 general interest movies.
Critics especially raved about Torres’s performance. Glenn Kenny (RogerEbert) wrote that she “gives a subtle and nuanced performance that arguably mops up the floor.” Robert Daniels (also RogerEbert) commented, “It’s difficult to fully contextualize how incredible Torres is here; she matches the film’s silent grief by keenly deploying her character’s internal angst into her slender frame.” The New York Times’ Alissa Wilkinson gave the movie a Critics Pick and noted that the movie is Eunice’s story: “She is a woman whose life has been ripped to shreds, deciding that she will not be cowed.” Wilkinson found that Torres “double-layers her performance with all of those emotions, and her searching eyes are magnetic.” And she finds the crux of the story as “a moving portrait of how politics disrupts and reshapes the domestic sphere, and how solidarity, community, and love are the only viable path toward living in tragedy.”
Combined Rating – With such high ratings, it isn’t at all surprising that I’m Still Here ranks first out of all 35 nominated movies for 2025, tied only with Dune: Part Two and The Wild Robot.
Where to Watch: Netflix (Free); Prime/Apple/Google/Fandango ($6)
