I'm Still Here (2024)

The two late jumps forward in time, first to 1996 and then to 2014, are the one stretch of I’m Still Here that wobbles, and they shift the rhythm of a film that already felt whole. Everything before them is close to flawless. It’s Rio in 1970, and former congressman Rubens Paiva and his wife Eunice have five kids and a full house near Leblon beach while the military dictatorship tightens its grip. In January 1971, soldiers take Rubens away, and Eunice herself is held and questioned for days. Back home, the papers claim he went into exile, and she doesn’t believe a word. Fernanda Torres plays Eunice with enormous restraint, hiding her fear so her children can stay children a little longer. Walter Salles never pushes the emotion, and Selton Mello makes Rubens so warm that his absence fills every room. Critics gave it 97%. A 9.2 because it turns one family’s loss into a country’s memory without a single false note. $3.54 says you call a grandparent this week and ask for a story you’ve never heard.

What works: Fernanda Torres gives a performance built on restraint, and Walter Salles lets small family moments carry the weight of history.

What doesn’t: The jumps to 1996 and 2014 change the film’s rhythm, and some viewers will feel the story was already complete before them.

Who it’s for: Anyone who loves quiet, devastating family dramas, and anyone who wants to understand Brazil’s years under military rule.