January 22, 2024
FILM: I’M STILL HERE
DIRECTED BY: WALTER SALLES
STARRING: FERNANDA TORRES, SELTON MELLO, VALENTINA HERSZAGE
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I saw I’m Still Here the day after lead actress Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama. The screening was held at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Both Torres and director Walter Salles were present for a Q & A following the film. Both were such a delight to listen to as they told various stories about making the film and its origins as a true story that it was easy to forget about some of the flaws inherent in viewing the film without such an enlightening discussion.
I’m Still Here is based on a memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, which focuses on the time the author’s father was taken by officials from Brazil’s military dictatorship in Rio de Janeiro. The early scenes feature a large and very happy family living along the coastline with a beach only steps away and an in-home housekeeper to take care of the family’s needs. Selton Mello plays dad Rubens Paiva, a former congressman and Torres plays his wife Eunice. Their life seems pretty idyllic until the day men, supposedly from the government, arrive to take Rubens away. His location is undisclosed. Then Eunice and one of her daughters is also taken and questioned. They eventually return home but the whereabouts of Rubens are unknown to them.
The film is partially a mystery thriller but also a domestic family drama as Eunice must maintain a sense of control while her husband has gone missing. What is most striking about her and the attitude of the whole family is their ability to stay hopeful and to keep smiling. Eunice’s sense of perseverance and positivity during all of this is highly admirable to watch and Torres does a nice job of portraying her strength.
The years mostly featured are 1970-71 but there are then two ellipses to 1996 and 2014, which follows how the family ended up after the earlier events. In an inspired bit of casting, Torres’s own mother, Oscar-nominated actress Fernanda Montenegro, plays Eunice in the final installment.
The time jumps give us a wider picture of the family but does leave out some key details such as what exactly happened to Rubens, how Marcelo became wheelchair bound, and what Eunice’s fight against the injustices associated with Brazil’s government amounted to after she earned a law degree. During the post-film discussion, Salles and Torres discussed some of this but viewers not privy to the details may be left scratching their heads during some of the later scenes in the film. Salles apparently knew this family quite well and even stayed in their home when he was young. Clearly, this was a passion project for him. However, this does lead to some unanswered questions that might feel a bit unsatisfying to some. Those without knowledge of Brazil’s evolving political structure and its supposed use of torture might appreciate additional details about its motivations behind such actions.
At 136 minutes, the film runs a bit longer than necessary. The happy early scenes feel tense because we know something is going to happen yet Salles lingers on them. Similarly, when Eunice is released from being held captive, some of the scenes lack the tension found during the initial period surrounding Rubens’s abduction. Some of this also feels a bit too drawn out while other sequences, particularly those that come later, feel somewhat truncated.
Still, this is first and foremost a story of a family and their ability to survive such terror in their lives. It’s also about the photos and home movies that keep their memories of better times alive. Memory, and one’s ability to overcome some of its darker moments is a bit of a theme here. In that sense, the film is hopeful even if it leaves out some of the details we might want to know to understand the complete story being presented.
I’m Still Here opens in limited release this week, including the Gene Siskel Theater in Chicago. It will expand to more screens in the coming weeks.
FILM: I’M STILL HERE
DIRECTED BY: WALTER SALLES
STARRING: FERNANDA TORRES, SELTON MELLO, VALENTINA HERSZAGE
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I saw I’m Still Here the day after lead actress Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama. The screening was held at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Both Torres and director Walter Salles were present for a Q & A following the film. Both were such a delight to listen to as they told various stories about making the film and its origins as a true story that it was easy to forget about some of the flaws inherent in viewing the film without such an enlightening discussion.
I’m Still Here is based on a memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, which focuses on the time the author’s father was taken by officials from Brazil’s military dictatorship in Rio de Janeiro. The early scenes feature a large and very happy family living along the coastline with a beach only steps away and an in-home housekeeper to take care of the family’s needs. Selton Mello plays dad Rubens Paiva, a former congressman and Torres plays his wife Eunice. Their life seems pretty idyllic until the day men, supposedly from the government, arrive to take Rubens away. His location is undisclosed. Then Eunice and one of her daughters is also taken and questioned. They eventually return home but the whereabouts of Rubens are unknown to them.
The film is partially a mystery thriller but also a domestic family drama as Eunice must maintain a sense of control while her husband has gone missing. What is most striking about her and the attitude of the whole family is their ability to stay hopeful and to keep smiling. Eunice’s sense of perseverance and positivity during all of this is highly admirable to watch and Torres does a nice job of portraying her strength.
The years mostly featured are 1970-71 but there are then two ellipses to 1996 and 2014, which follows how the family ended up after the earlier events. In an inspired bit of casting, Torres’s own mother, Oscar-nominated actress Fernanda Montenegro, plays Eunice in the final installment.
The time jumps give us a wider picture of the family but does leave out some key details such as what exactly happened to Rubens, how Marcelo became wheelchair bound, and what Eunice’s fight against the injustices associated with Brazil’s government amounted to after she earned a law degree. During the post-film discussion, Salles and Torres discussed some of this but viewers not privy to the details may be left scratching their heads during some of the later scenes in the film. Salles apparently knew this family quite well and even stayed in their home when he was young. Clearly, this was a passion project for him. However, this does lead to some unanswered questions that might feel a bit unsatisfying to some. Those without knowledge of Brazil’s evolving political structure and its supposed use of torture might appreciate additional details about its motivations behind such actions.
At 136 minutes, the film runs a bit longer than necessary. The happy early scenes feel tense because we know something is going to happen yet Salles lingers on them. Similarly, when Eunice is released from being held captive, some of the scenes lack the tension found during the initial period surrounding Rubens’s abduction. Some of this also feels a bit too drawn out while other sequences, particularly those that come later, feel somewhat truncated.
Still, this is first and foremost a story of a family and their ability to survive such terror in their lives. It’s also about the photos and home movies that keep their memories of better times alive. Memory, and one’s ability to overcome some of its darker moments is a bit of a theme here. In that sense, the film is hopeful even if it leaves out some of the details we might want to know to understand the complete story being presented.
I’m Still Here opens in limited release this week, including the Gene Siskel Theater in Chicago. It will expand to more screens in the coming weeks.