I'm Still Here

There's a world where I'm Still Here wins every Academy Award that's it's up for and we're all the better for it.

Major category attention of Walter Salles’ fact-based Brazilian drama suggests it has a shot at some big prizes, and it’ll hopefully at least take International Feature. Regardless, this is the real deal and warrants much wider acclaim.

Eerily relevant in today's increasingly fascist world, the story of former congressman Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), his disappearance by the military dictatorship government, and his family's decades-long quest for the truth is told with a blunt honesty made all the more heartbreaking by the gorgeous surroundings and powerful performances.

As his loyal wife Eunice, Fernanda Torres is deservedly up for Best Actress, and were it not for Demi Moore’s fearless turn in The Substance, this comparably ferocious work would be the frontrunner.

In both Rubens’ blissful 1970s existence back in Rio de Janeiro following six years of self-exile and the traumatic months of fear after his absence, Salles and screenwriters Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega foster fascinating family dynamics across Eunice, the five children, and their honorary member, housekeeper Zeze (Pri Helena). One gets to know these young people and domestic servant surprisingly well and ache for their reunion with their father/employer.

Surprisingly nimble for a 138-minute drama about such bracing subject matter, I’m Still Here sustains its momentum through timeline jumping that brings in new cast members playing familiar characters. Despite the melancholic circumstances, getting to know them in their current life station is a delight and adds layers to an already complex and rewarding narrative.

Grade: A-minus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at Carolina Cinemark and the Fine Arts Theatre.

(Photo: Sony Pictures Classics)