‘I’m Still Here’ movie review: a gripping and terrifying drama
During times of crisis and uncertainty, we often turn to art to comfort us, trying to find answers through a global collection of stories that chart each and every aspect of the human experience. However, while we want to put our minds at ease when feeling troubled by the general state of the world, sometimes comfort is not the best answer, and we need to be reminded of what came before us in order to avoid the likes of it happening again. Famously, those who do not learn from their past are condemned to repeat it, a sentiment that sprang to mind after watching Walter Salles’ latest feature, I’m Still Here.
I’m Still Here is the devastating true story of the Paiva family during the 1970s in Brazil, at a time when the military dictatorship had reached its height. Eunice and Rubens are happily married with five children, living an idyllic life on the beach in Rio. The opening scenes are marked by a contagious sense of joy and the mess of everyday life, following the kids as they run wild across the beach and try to convince their parents to adopt a scruffy stray dog. Salles authentically captures the daily madness of belonging to a large but nonetheless loving family, making your heart soar and quickly drop as you realise that something is about to go horribly wrong.
We learn that people are regularly subjected to questioning by the military, and an ambassador has recently gone missing as a result of the oppressive dictatorship, something Rubens and his friends have been quietly resisting. But one day, the police arrive at their house to take Rubens away for routine questioning, and he never returns.
Salles focuses on the ensuing uncertainty and terror as the family are suddenly torn apart and given no information as to where their father is. After being held up in a detention facility and interrogated, Eunice gets a horrifying taste of what her husband might be experiencing, leading her to embark on a brutally infuriating and testing journey to discover the truth and stop her family from falling apart.
Fernanda Torres is spellbinding in her portrayal of a mother pushed to the absolute limits, desperately trying to keep a brave face in front of her children while the worst imaginable fate has been bestowed upon them. Every path she takes leads to dead ends and fewer answers, with members of the state lurking outside her home to inflict fear and prevent her from searching. The Paiva family face obstacle after obstacle, being stripped of everything in their lives. At the same time, Eunice has to muster the strength to carry on despite the undetermined tragedy that looms over them.
I’m Still Here is a devastating story of human strength and resilience, capturing the monstrosities of living under a dictatorship and the lack of democracy. The abuse of power, torture and intimidation that happened during this time reminded me of the same tactics that we can see being used by other powers in the world, bearing a stark resemblance to other figures who have become mad with power and use it to inflict fear on those who oppose them.
Salles couldn’t possibly have known that when he started making this film five years ago, it would be so scarily similar to the challenges that face our world today. Once again, Salles reminds us of the fate that will await us all if we can’t learn from the horrors of our past and become eager to forget the evils that are slowly resurfacing all around us.
