Ainda Estou Aqui (2024)

Detailed Summary

1970 – Calm Before the Storm

The Paiva family—Rubens (Selton Mello), Eunice (Fernanda Torres), and their five children—enjoys an idyllic life in Rio’s Leblon neighborhood shortly after Rubens returns from exile.

Military Raid & Disappearance

In January 1971, military agents raid their home. Rubens is arrested and disappears. Eunice is detained and tortured for 12 days; their daughter Eliana is briefly imprisoned. The family is left suspended in fear and uncertainty.

Eunice’s Quest for Justice

Eunice becomes determined to uncover Rubens’s fate. She files habeas corpus petitions, endures media pressure, and finds support from friends and lawyers, even as official narratives claim he fled.

Rebuilding in São Paulo

After selling their home, Eunice and her children move to São Paulo. She earns a law degree at 48, becoming an advocate for indigenous rights and human rights.

1996 – Official Recognition

Eunice receives Rubens’s official death certificate and speaks publicly, demanding reparations and accountability — a key moment in national reckoning.

2014 – Memory and Legacy

On her 85th birthday, Eunice (now played by Fernanda Montenegro) living with Alzheimer’s, watches a broadcast about the National Truth Commission. Her reaction hints at reclaimed memories.

Movie Ending

The film culminates with the official declaration of Rubens’s death and Eunice’s powerful testimony demanding justice. This marks Brazil’s broader confrontation with its dictatorial past. In the final scenes, Alzheimer’s-stricken Eunice clearly reacts to the revival of truth, underscoring memory’s vital role in justice. The closing notes reveal none of Rubens’s killers were ever prosecuted and that Eunice passed away in 2018 at age 89.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

No post-credits scenes. The film ends with informational text detailing Rubens’s assassination between January 21–22, 1971, the perpetrators’ identities, Eunice’s later accomplishments, and her death in 2018.

Type of Movie

A political biographical drama that interweaves intimate family life with Brazil’s history under military dictatorship (1964–1985), offering both personal and national perspectives.

Cast

• Fernanda Torres as young Eunice Paiva
• Selton Mello as Rubens Paiva
• Fernanda Montenegro as elderly Eunice (cameo)
  Supporting casts include Maeve Jinkings, Antonio Saboia, Valentina Herszage, Humberto Carrão, Marjorie Estiano, among others.

Film Music and Composer

Score by Warren Ellis. The soundtrack includes era-defining Brazilian songs like “É Preciso Dar Um Jeito, Meu Amigo” (1971) by Erasmo & Roberto Carlos — aligned closely with the film’s closing moments, reinforcing its themes of resistance and remembrance.

Filming Locations

Primarily filmed in Brazil, including reconstructed sets of the Paiva household in Rio de Janeiro—based on director Salles’s own childhood memories—and São Paulo interiors. Historical authenticity in these locations deepens emotional and historical resonance .

Awards and Nominations

• Best Screenplay, Venice International Film Festival 2024
• Globe nomination & Fernanda Torres wins Best Actress – Drama (Golden Globes)
• Nominated Best Foreign Film (Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, BAFTA)
• 3 Oscar nominations: Best Picture (first for a Brazilian film), Best International Feature (won), Best Actress nomination for Torres
• Palm Springs International Film Festival: Best International Film
• Numerous awards: Goya, Festival Rotterdam, Gold Derby, OFTA, Dorian Awards, BBC list, Exame magazine’s Best Film 2024

Behind the Scenes Insights

• Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s memoir, co-written by screenwriters Murilo Hauser & Heitor Lorega.
• Salles revisited childhood memories of the Paiva home to recreate authentic sets.
• Intentionally underplayed torture scenes: horror conveyed by psychological tension, not graphic imagery .
• Reunion of Fernanda Torres and her mother Fernanda Montenegro on screen: a generational cinematic moment.
• Music supervisors selected period-accurate tracks to underscore the film’s emotional and political layers .

Inspirations and References

• Direct adaptation of Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir.
• References to Brazil’s National Truth Commission (Comissão da Verdade, 2014) that documented dictatorship crimes.
• 1971 political songs like “É Preciso Dar Um Jeito…” featured to evoke contemporary resistance.

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

No officially disclosed alternate endings; the final structure remains intact. Scenes likely trimmed include extended family interactions and media-led moments, particularly balancing intimate storytelling with runtime constraints .

Book Adaptation & Differences

Adheres closely to the memoir’s timeline and core events: disappearance, Eunice’s transformation, and public recognition. Some personal anecdotes might be condensed to maintain narrative focus on emotional and political arcs .

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

• The silent corridor torture: “It’s horrifying without showing violence.”
• Eunice receiving the death certificate for Rubens in 1996.
• Alzheimer’s-era Eunice reacting to televised National Truth Commission coverage.

Iconic Quotes

(Translated)

• Eunice confronting authorities: “We demand justice.”
• Reflective narration: “I’m still here.” (Title’s emotional link to memory and survival)

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

• Authentic 8 mm family photos/videos appear in scenes to tie fiction to real memory.
• Period songs placed strategically (e.g., Roberto & Erasmo Carlos) to ground scenes historically.
• Director Salles subtly recreates the real Paiva home with personal touches from his childhood memories.

Trivia

• Branching firsts: first Brazilian actress to win Golden Globe in Drama (Torres), and first Brazilian film to win Oscar for Best International Feature.
• Grossed over R$200 million worldwide, including R$112 M in Brazil and R$33 M in the US.
• Generated record-breaking Brazilian box-office reach—3 million viewers in 8 weeks, 32% national market share.

Why Watch?

You should watch I’m Still Here because it delivers:

• A deeply human account of how one woman’s grief transformed into strength.
• Insightful lessons on collective memory, justice, and resistance.
• Powerful performances, especially from Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro.
• A film that resonates with contemporary struggles for accountability and democracy.

Director’s Other Movies

• Central Station (1998)
• The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
• Foreign Land (1995)
• Linha de Passe (2008)

Recommended Films for Fans

• The Official Story (1985) – exploring “disappearances” during dictatorship
• Zuzu Angel (2006) – a mother’s fight under repression
• Missing (1982) – a political disappearance drama
• Black Book (2006) – personal resilience in totalitarian regimes