Life in Brazil was marked by fear, repression, and forced disappearances under the brutal military dictatorship that lasted from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. Dissent was crushed, political opposition suppressed, and the families of the disappeared left in silence and uncertainty. Justice was a distant dream, with a censored press and a state apparatus that operated without accountability. Though this troubled era lies several decades in the past, it continues to shape Brazil’s political and emotional landscape, especially as efforts to revise or erase the past grow louder.
In this context, the Portuguese-language political biographical drama I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui),directed byWalter Salles, feels both timely and timeless. Adapted from Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s memoir, it tells the story of Eunice Paiva, the wife of disappeared politician Rubens Paiva, with cinematic precision that captures the joy, fear, and grief of a family living under authoritarian rule. The powerful performances of Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro, portraying Eunice at different stages of life, form the emotional core of the film and make it a deeply affecting experience.
I’m Still Here is not just a film; it is a moral intervention in an age of authoritarian nostalgia and historical denialism. This Oscar-winning work insists that memory is not just personal but political, and that truth, no matter how delayed, must be pursued. It is a must-watch not only for its cinematic craft but also for its unwavering commitment to truth and accountability.