I'm Still Here

[I'm Still Here] aims to illustrate that forced disappearances cause enormous psychological traumas to those left behind, but it does so in the absence of the full backdrop.

As Eunice, Fernanda Torres turns in an outstanding performance marked by restraint, all the rage and grief she can’t openly express.

What makes I’m Still Here come alive is Torres’s faultless performance as the stabilising force in a family’s drift back to compromised normality.

...the most remarkable of feelgood films.

Powerful and gripping.

I’m Still Here shows us a life of snapshots. In this pensive, poignant, richly realised new film from Brazil’s Walter Salles, photographs are constantly being taken and viewed...

With an original and moving vision, excellent character development, and a wonderful performance by Torres, Salas brings the memory of this historical episode to life, a reminder that, beyond Brazil, remains relevant worldwide. [Full review in Spanish]

Although he plays the story straight, Salles sentimentalises by sheer perseverance. We begin to wonder if the Paiva family ever has a serious argument or a tantrum that can’t be resolved in an instant.

I’m Still Here is a riveting drama, sometimes soaked with dread and difficult to watch. But it’s never inauthentic, especially Torres’ performance, which leaches hope from desiccated soil.

A gratifyingly low-key treatment of very emotional and volatile material.