Film Review: I’M STILL HERE (2024): Walter Salles’ Affecting Film Features a Fantastic Fernanda Torres as a Woman in Turmoil

I’m Still Here Review

I’m Still Here (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Walter Salles, written by Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega and Marcelo Rubens Paiva and starring Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro, Selton Mello, Luiza Kosovski, Valentina Herszage, Maria Manoella, Barbara Luz, Gabriela Carneiro, Marjorie Estiano, Antonio Saboia, Humberto Carrao, Maeve Jinkings and Cora Mora.

I’m Still Here opens in a way that doesn’t adequately prepare viewers for what is to come from an emotional standpoint. Director Walter Salles initially creates a family of very likable and charismatic characters. This film starts off on a beach with the introduction of a cute stray dog who is taken into the family against the wishes of Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), a politician and caring head of the household. The film is mainly focused during 1970’s Brazil which is in the midst of a harsh military dictatorship. We could only hope the Paiva family could escape its wrath but they will be interwoven into a years-long descent into sadness and despair. The film opens with hope and it closes with hope but it is filled in by moments of frustration and terror throughout.

Fernanda Torres plays Eunice Paiva, the woman who will be forced to hold her household together the best she can when Rubens is involuntarily dispatched by some very frightening men who pull him from his very home in 1971. Eunice is a major reason why I’m Still Here gets under the viewer’s skin. Had Torres not been as phenomenal as she is here, the film could have taken different roads which would frighten and disturb but not touch the heart in the way Salles’ film does. This is not a conventional movie but it is a powerful one with many scenes of harrowing and sad details which do not offer easy answers regarding the dilemmas Eunice faces throughout the picture.

One scene has Eunice’s housekeeper asking to be paid since her funds have not been coming in as expected for her services. Eunice proceeds to go to the bank where she is told she can only do a financial transaction under the supervision of Rubens who is missing in action. Eunice hopes and believes that Rubens could be alive but it’s impossible to decipher the truth even when Eunice ends up in prison for days that will forever alter her outlook on life.

Luiza Kosovski is superb as Eliana who is Eunice’s daughter who also sees the terrors and despairs that lurk beneath the startling potential revelations that are pending in regard to the whereabouts of Rubens. When the movie finally reveals the occurrences that have happened, it is absolutely spellbinding and will tear the viewer’s soul to pieces.

Playing Eunice as an older woman is Fernanda Montenegro in an unforgettable, grand appearance coming a quarter of a century after her star-defining role in Salles’ brilliant movie, Central Station, from 25 years ago. Eunice, it is told, went back to school at age 48 to pursue law and try to change the way unfair things are thrust into motion. This information is revealed at the end credits. Keep this information in mind while watching I’m Still Here because it helps define the character of Eunice and those around her who suffer immensely hoping for the best and certainly not expecting the worst until things become so bad, they can only get worse as they are undoubtedly real.

Torres makes the role she plays in this film the heart and soul of the picture. There’s no denying her character here has determination and willpower. Torres captures Eunice’s pain, passion and love for her family to perfection. She is well-deserving of the accolades she has been receiving and Torres could find herself with an Oscar nomination for her towering performance in this picture. Selton Mello doesn’t have much screen time but there’s enough of him to respect his character and care about what happens to his family. Mello brings a complexity to his role that makes it unique and the film does justice to the determination of the amazingly brave family the movie portrays.

I’m Still Here is captivating and very disturbing but impossible to look away from. The poor dog doesn’t stand a chance in a film immersed in tragedy and the opening scenes of peace and tranquility are tarnished by the events that follow. Without Torres, the movie would still be good but she brings it to a boiling point through her fearless performance. Like the character she plays, Torres doesn’t try to hide behind any facades- she’s raw, real and relentless and this is all the better a film as a result.

The last scene of I’m Still Here is riveting and promises to move the viewer with its haunting attention to the details of the tragedy that the film portrays. Walter Salles succeeds with probing direction and manages to yield sharp, detailed performances from those who play Eunice’s kids. It’s hard to single them all out but Valentina Herszage as Vera and Barbara Luz as Nalu are simply phenomenal in addition to Kosovski’s very distinct work as Eliana.

Salles has crafted an effective picture that speaks volumes about the circumstances that were experienced during the time period and location the film is set in. Pictures of the hugely popular film, Psycho, and pop culture icons are displayed on the walls of family members and the movie is vivid and very detail-oriented which makes it leap off the screen even more. Torres excels in her work here to the greatest degree which makes I’m Still Here a genuine work of art that should be experienced by those willing to truly witness the devastating effects of tragedy on a determined and motivated family. It’s a truly moving motion picture.

Rating: 8/10

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