I’m Still Here
Former congressman Rubens (Selton Mello) and his wife Eunice (Fernanda Torres) lead an enviably fulfilled life with their children in Rio de Janeiro when the ramifications of the military dictatorship start to rear their ugly head. In January of 1971, armed forces raid their home and take Rubens with them, never to be heard from again. The next decades of their lives the family spend in a relentless search for answers.
With his adaptation of Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s memoir I’m Still Here, the acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles (Central Station, The Motorcycle Diaries) raises awareness for the lack of accountability in the country’s checkered past. Yet, as the camera never averts its gaze from the family, the true focus lies in their resilience and their unfaltering devotion. The feature starts on an almost unbearably light note, creating a sense of nostalgia in real-time. Happy moments are captured by the characters on Super-8 film and the recorded images are interspersed throughout the film as a glimmer of hope. Rarely has family life been depicted so full of palpable love and laughter, making the interruption thereof all the harder to bear.
The performances are remarkably textured, especially Torres, who manages to avoid all too obvious choices and despite delivering the occasional unexpected tone to a scene, still remains concrete and relatable. Naturally, her face is etched with worry when the military show up at her house, but the last glance Eunice and Rubens share is soft. It speaks to a secret language, a nonverbal form of communication, and implicit trust. As she accommodates the strange men and offers them food, the audience immediately grasps that she is terrified in her own right, but her first priority is making sure her children feel safe.
The epilogue wishes to inform viewers of the bitter irony that the timing of Eunice finally getting to the bottom of what happened to Rubens coincides with an onset of dementia. However, it feels more like an addendum than an integral part of the film. With the first hour of the feature tightly packed, and the remainder of the 135 minutes in total dedicated to the reprocessing, the pacing feels a little erratic.
All in all, I’m Still Here is a heartfelt and moving piece that lives and breathes through its indelible performances.
Selina Sondermann
Read more reviews from our London Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event visit the London Film Festival website here.
Watch a clip from I’m Still Here here:
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