I’m Still Here
I’m Still Here is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 14+.
A mother (Academy Award nominated Fernanda Torres) is forced to reinvent herself when her family's life is shattered by an act of arbitrary violence during the tightening grip of a military dictatorship in Brazil, 1971.
STORY: B
The story’s understated tone brings the terror.
At every pivotal moment, the script declines to shine a spotlight on the horror. The moments exist in plain daylight, in plain sight.
These goons are normal, relatively polite men. The violence often stays behind closed doors. Even the heart of it all - the barbaric interrogation facility - never rises up and shows its fangs. The bland, normalcy of it all holds enough horror to suitably terrify the audience.
PEOPLE: A-
Fernanda Torres deserves all of her recognition.
It’s not easy for a barely seen performance to build enough momentum to land an Academy nomination. You won’t need to spend much time with Eunice to see why Torres is nominated. She’s a rock, draping a smiling, stoic face over her steely resolve.
FILM NERD STUFF: B+
Visual storytelling at its finest.
Too often, filmmakers let words barge their way into a scene, seize the spotlight, and rob moments of their emotional power. Not here.
Watch the scene where Eunice takes the girls out for ice cream. She has a horrible realization. The pain cascades over her face. Her oldest daughter soon picks up on it and is duly devastated. Quickly in turn, so is the next eldest daughter. The scene plays out like a silent game of telephone, a tragic game of dominoes. All told without a single word.
ONE BIG LESSON: A
The world isn’t always like the movies.
Eunice’s family is ripped apart so swiftly, so severely, and with such little fanfare that it may not feel authentic. I’d argue that it’s incredibly authentic. I’d argue it portrays this type of situation exactly the way it happens in the real world. Coups do not always arrive with explosions, evil soundtracks, or other movie tropes.
FINAL COMMENTS:
I’m Still Here shares space with one of the best documentaries of 2024, Daughters. Both films show how the most devastating consequences of a father’s incarceration land not on him, but upon the rest of the family.
Torres is the family’s constant axis, and her fight for her family isn’t just a fight for survival. It’s one of the most noble and effective forms of radical protest. One we should all keep in mind. It’s hard not to feel like this movie arrived exactly at the moment we need it.