I’m Still Here (2024)

My Review

“I’m Still Here” is a Portuguese-language biopic drama about Eunice Paiva, a Brazilian woman who must care for her five children despite the disappearance of her husband, a former Congressman apparently abducted by the military dictatorship. Brazilian director Walter Salles put together a masterpiece biography with excellent production values, outstanding writing, complex character development, and memorable performances. The screenplay by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega was based on the memoir of the same name by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, the son of the kidnapped former congressman Rubens Paiva.

The star of the show is Fernanda Torres as the brave woman whose husband has disappeared. She carries the film with her talent and screen presence. The cast (which is entirely Brazilian) includes Selton Mello, Fernanda Montenegro, Valentina Herszage, and Guilherme Silveira. The watchable “I’m Still Here” (“Ainda Estou Aqui” in Portugese) was popular in theatrical release for VideoFilmes, Arte France Cinema, Globoplay, and Sony Pictures Releasing. It was filmed in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil, and won one Academy Award for Best International Feature, with two other nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress (Torres).