I’m Still Here

By Joanna Langfield

Is anyone really safe?

That’s the unshakeable takeaway from Walter Salles’s haunting retelling of what happened to one family, living in Brazil in the early 1970’s.

Based on the son’s memoir, the film begins as the Paivas family is living the privileged life of the upper middle class. Yes, the military dictatorship surrounding them is unnerving. But, frolicking on the beach, cared for by the house staff, enjoying backgammon while curled up on the couch, life is good. They’re okay. And then, there’s a knock at the door.

Ultimately, this is a story of resilience. It reminds us not to lose our community, love and compassion. And Salles’ approach, not just hotly political, but warmingly human, is lovely, even as the telling of this family epic is a bit choppy at times. What threads the piece beautifully together is the lead performance from actress Fernanda Torres. Her understated work sears through the camera, whether she’s flirting comfortably with the husband she adores, confronting the government she cannot trust, or relying on the family she insisted on keeping together.

But also, this is, at its core, a movie about citizens who believed they had some safety, some security, as the world around them proved otherwise. And, if you’re paying attention, its warning is urgent and essential.