Rent I'm Still Here (2024)
4.1 of 5 from 119 ratings
2h 17min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Brazil, 1971. Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship. Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres), a mother of five children, is forced to reinvent herself after her family suffers a violent and arbitrary act by the government.
- Actors:
- Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro, Selton Mello, Valentina Herszage, Maria Manoella, Bárbara Luz, Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha, Luiza Kosovski, Marjorie Estiano, Guilherme Silveira, Antonio Saboia, Cora Ramalho, Olívia Torres, Pri Helena, Humberto Carrão, Charles Fricks, Maeve Jinkings, Luana Nastas, Isadora Ruppert, Dan Stulbach
- Directors:
- Walter Salles
- Producers:
- Maria Carlota Bruno, Martine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Rodrigo Teixeira
- Writers:
- Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega, Marcelo Rubens Paiva
- Aka:
- Ainda Estou Aqui
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2025, Oscar Nominations Competition 2025
- Countries:
- Brazil
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 23/06/2025
- Run Time:
- 138 minutes
- Languages:
- Brazilian Portuguese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Brazilian Portuguese LPCM Stereo 2.0
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Interview with Selton Mello and Fernanda Torres
More like I'm Still Here
Reviews (2) of I'm Still Here
Never Returned, Never Forgotten - I'm Still Here review by griggs
I'm Still Here opens up to scenes we are familiar with, hundreds of young people enjoying Copacabana beach, the sun, the sand, the sea and the surf, before a cutaway to the grim darkness of a road tunnel where the Brazilian dream is shattered, soldiers flexing their muscles at a roadblock; stopping and searching every car with ruthless efficiency and venom, forcing everyone up against the wall at gunpoint.
What unfolds is a powerful and deeply personal film about the military dictatorship in Brazil at its height in the early 1970s, when state paranoia was at its most extreme. It follows the Paiva family, Rubens, Eunice, and their five children, whose lives are shattered when Rubens, a former congressman, is taken in for questioning and never returns. Fernanda Torres delivers a superb performance as Eunice, carrying the emotional weight of the film with quiet resilience and raw vulnerability. Her portrayal ensures the story remains profoundly affecting, even when the movie meanders, creating a strong emotional connection with the audience. The film's powerful portrayal of family tragedy will resonate with viewers, evoking a strong sense of empathy and emotional connection. This emotional impact will keep the audience connected to the film's narrative and characters.
Director Walter Salles, a childhood friend of the Paiva family, clearly brings a personal connection to the material. His intimate knowledge of the family's story and the impact of the dictatorship on their lives is evident in the film. However, his familiarity with the story sometimes works against the film. Various subplots, such as a stray dog and a winter coat, feel unnecessary, adding little depth but extending the runtime. As the film jumped through several codas towards the present day, some of my fellow audience members began to groan and fidget, realising that the end was still not in sight. Compared to The Seed of the Sacred Fig, a fellow Best International Feature Film Oscar nominee, which is 40 minutes longer yet far more taut, with the additional run time feeling absolutely essential, this film feels overlong. It is often said that art is not what you put in but what you leave out. Better editing could have vastly improved this film.
Despite its flaws, I'm Still Here manages to keep the focus on the tragedy at its core. It is a stark reminder that the world we live in today, 50 years later, is not all that different. The film's exploration of power dynamics and the potential for history to repeat itself, with dictators and would-be dictators worldwide flexing their muscles, is gripping and intellectually stimulating. The film's relevance to the current political climate and its exploration of history's potential to repeat itself will keep the audience engaged and intellectually stimulated. However, a more restrained approach could have made it even more potent. Nevertheless, it remains an essential and affecting film I enjoyed and recommend, particularly for those concerned about the current political climate with one eye on recent history.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Impressive tale of resilience set in Brazil's dictatorship era - I'm Still Here review by PD
Walter Salles' latest film concerns the period between 1964 and the mid-70s when hundreds of Brazilian individuals were “disappeared” by the military dictatorship as part of a counter-revolutionary campaign. Among the missing were students and former politicians, rich and poor alike, swept up in the tides of brutality that beset the country with ramifications that continue to resonate to this very day. Along with those who never came home were the many family members that were also picked up and interrogated, undergoing hardships that would for years mark them with suspicion by the state and leave lasting psychological effects.
The film allows international audiences into this world of quiet resilience and powerful response to the whims of a dictatorial regime. Following the true-life story of Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres) and her family, this is a powerful indictment of those that caused such harm, and a blistering celebration of one woman’s tenacious drive to seek justice and to preserve the truth for generations to come.
The early portion of the film is presented with an impeccable sense of place, and everything from the clothing to the set design and dressing is handled with extreme dexterity. Even at the most heightened moments of suffering or anxiety the storyline never becomes overwrought, Salles’ skillful navigation of this years-long story doled out in a precise yet never ponderous pace. The raw emotions that Eunice and others experience is also expressed in beautifully attenuated fashion, and it’s the quiet power of the character as exceptionally embodied by Torres, free from histrionics, that makes it that much more effective. From the child actors right through to the taciturn menace of the abductors and interrogators, there’s a sense of documentary-like truthfulness throughout that transcends any usual cinematic excesses. Salles’ camera wanders from beach to home with a freedom that’s often stunning, and everything from gritty street scenes to more subtle glimpses of Rio-area landmarks are dropped in with a keen and careful eye.
The film’s first two thirds we’re situated within the time period of the coup, and this feels by far the most urgent and impactful parts of the narrative. But to end with a generic title card to say what occurred over the next quarter century would do injustice to Eunice’s story, and the film wisely grants more than enough space to see her myriad actions that helped reshape her country be appropriately commemorated. Although tonally this concluding act perhaps feels a tad more heavy handed, it’s still a fitting coda to what builds up from the initial scenes. While an entirely refreshed cast is called upon to take up the mantle with events some quarter century later, the sense of familial connection remains strong. Seen through these various lenses, Eunice’s story is given a more fulsome presentation. Very impressive work.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.