‘I’m Still Here' tells a riveting true story about never giving up the pursuit of justice

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Always hold on to hope.

Synopsis

I’m Still Here tells the true story of Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), who lived under Brazil’s military dictatorship with her family in the 1960’s-80’s. Her husband, former congressman Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), is arrested and imprisoned for his anti-government activity, which puts his family under heavy surveillance. Unable to get answers about Rubens’ whereabouts and believing he’s been murdered, Eunice embarks on a crusade to get the Brazilian government to admit to his murder and other citizens' human rights violations.

My thoughts

While watching I’m Still Here, I wasn’t aware it was a true story outside of the 1970s Brazilian dictatorship setting, figuring it was just the framing device to tell a story about how people live and try to survive under such a government. I know a fair share of South American countries had their experiences with dictatorships courtesy of the United States’ meddling in the mid-to-late 1900s, but if you were to ask me of any significant names or figures, I’d draw a huge blank.

That’s what “based on a true story” movies are for, at least for me; to tell us about these people we may have never heard of before. There are millions out there who have made tremendous impacts in their own way, but they don’t get entire stories dedicated to them. People who have a vested interest or connection to these events will undoubtedly know of the players involved, but movies like this assist folks like me in learning about these people in the first place.

A local legend turned global

Even if “based on a true story” movies serve that purpose, they’re often incredibly dramatized in order to make the events more exciting or cinematic. Usually, they’re not even all that “true” because of this, really straining the credibility of the word. I’m not sure how accurate I’m Still Here really is, but it’s based on the autobiography by Eunice’s son Marcelo, so I’m assuming it’s at least coming from a place of sincerity.

Unlike others of its kind, Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here is anything but dramatized or exciting, but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the most riveting films of 2024. He and screenwriters Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega drop us right into the middle of a perfectly normal day for the Paiva family at the beach. I guess “normal” is a relative term, since seeing soldiers and tanks go down the street isn’t, and hopefully never will be, normal to Americans, it was simply a fact of life for the people in Brazil at the time.

For the Paiva family, that’s just how life is. Having soldiers interrogate you, seeing constant news about kidnappings and executions, and hearing gunfire and sirens in the streets while lying in bed at night are all business as usual. The younger adults and children are ignorantly having fun, but all the real grown-ups have behind their eyes is a depressing and somber acceptance of their overall situation.

It’s almost scary seeing how casually the characters live their lives while their world collapses around them. You know it’s not just collapsing, but also closing in. This is a historical drama picture about people living under an oppressive regime, so you’re just waiting for that shoe to drop for them. It’s not a matter of “if” things are going to get bad for our characters, but “when”.

Well, that shoe eventually does drop when the authorities come to the Paiva home to arrest Rubens and have some soldiers keep watch over the rest of the family. This results in one of the most suspenseful movie sequences of 2024, rivaling the likes of Civil War and Strange Darling. This approximately 20-minute segment is so agonizingly tense that I could hardly take it. I was literally leaning forward on the edge of my seat, and gripping my armrest.

You only get high tension like this from high-quality directing, though, and Salles masterfully executes this entire portion. There’s no music with the shots wide and flat, with beautiful framing and lighting from cinematographer Adrian Teijido. It’s indescribably eerie watching Eunice and her family quietly walk around the house, trying to ignore the armed men ominously watching from the shadows. It was so excruciating, I could hardly take it.

Keeping the faith

Now, the rest of the movie isn’t like this, so don’t expect this to be some taut thriller that keeps this level of tension throughout, but it serves to highlight just how scary this situation would be to anybody in the Paiva family’s shoes. What follows is still deeply uncomfortable, with Eunice being interrogated and tortured, and then her family being stalked and surveilled. It goes to show that even if you’re able to maintain a semblance of a normal life under a dictatorship, it’s only a matter of time before they come for you too.

Fernanda Torres’ powerhouse performance guides the story, the entire film basically hinging on her. The story of Eunice Paiva’s tenacity is inspiring, but Torres really sells it with tragic emotional impact. There are many moments where her silence says so much, like the life is slowly leaving her eyes as the years go on. Watching Torres solemnly watch nostalgic home movies reminding her of just how much she lost is heartbreaking. At least she still has those memories, I suppose.

Torres has wonderful chemistry with Selton Mello, which makes her feelings of grief after he’s taken even more palpable. You can really see the love the two have for each other, the kind of love you can only build over the course of decades. Even when he’s being arrested, Mello plays Reubens with a relaxed attitude, where it seems he knows his fate, but is smiling because he’s right, and most importantly, his family should be safe.

Things also kind of come full circle for Torres and her real-life mother Fernanda Montenegro, who plays Eunice in the final moments of the film, during the much later stage of her life. While these last 15 minutes weren’t as engaging as the rest of the film, having Montenegro practically portray her daughter was quite touching. It’s evident the emotional impact Eunice Paiva’s story had on both women.

Final verdict

The title I’m Still Here has multiple meanings. It’s not just Eunice spiritually saying, “I’m still here,” to Rubens while he’s now permanently gone from this earth, but she’s also saying, “I’m still here,” to the Brazilian government. Throughout her entire crusade, she never wavered in her pursuit of justice not just for her husband, but for Brazilians everywhere. Saying, “I’m still here,” is just another way of saying, “I’ll never be going away.”

But it also means that Eunice Paiva is still here. She’s already been immortalized in history, but telling her story through film continues to teach that history. I’m Still Here is a truly riveting and inspiring story about standing up to your oppressors and fighting for what’s right. It’s a long and hard fight every single time, but if it worked for Eunice Paiva, it just might be worth having hope.