Brazilians lived under a military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985 and during that time, those considered a “subversive threat” by the government were subject to imprisonment and torture.  A post-regime commission identified that over 400 deaths or disappearances.  One such individual was engineer-turned-congressmen Rubens Paiva who was taken from his beachside home in Rio de Janeiro on 20 January 1971 and never seen again.

It’s a story which could be covered from many angles but instead of focusing on Rubens or the oppressive military, the screenwriters largely tell the story from the perspective of the wife, Eunice.  This makes it more of a family drama, and it’s a very good one, as opposed to a whodunit-style thriller.  The source material is a 2015 autobiography written by Rubens and Eunice’s son, Marcelo, and the director is the talented Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) who knows a thing or two about the era.

The reason this film is connecting with audiences is because of the wonderful lead performance of Fernanda Torres as Eunice.  She’s a household name in Brazil but the 59-year-old, who has been acting since the 1980s, is now having her “breakout” moment.  She recently earned a Golden Globe award for best actress in a drama (beating the likes of Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman), and she now has an Oscar nomination to go with it.  It comes with a dash of nostalgia given Torres mother, Fernanda Montenegro, was nominated herself in 1999 for another Salles film, Central Station.

We may not have dealt with a situation as tragic as Eunice Paiva but through Torres powerful performance, we understand her mindset, her actions, and the emotion of the situation.  She was a loving mother to five children and first and foremost, her instinct was to shield them from the horror.  She concealed information and made many sacrifices to ensure their childhood as normal as possible.  This wasn’t easy (some were older and savvier than others) and a moving epilogue helps answer questions about how much the children really knew.

Torres deserves the acclaim, but the child actors also deserve a shoutout.  It’s not often you see a family unit as convincing as this.  There are times when they’re arguing and talking over each other… and there are moments when they’re hugging, dancing, and showing true affection.  They also externalise their emotions which serve as important contrast to Eunice who is forced to bottle hers in.

Profiling a darker chapter in Brazil’s history, telling a beautiful family tale, and highlighting the power of photographs and memories, I’m Still Here is great cinema.  Academy voters honoured it as one of the year’s 10 best pictures… and it’s easy to see why.