I'm Still Here

"When a mother's courage defies tyranny, hope is reborn."

2024 2h 18m PT

🙌

7.9

BANGER

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

8.2

IMDB

★7.9TMDB · 1,182●85Metacritic★8.2IMDB · 144,641

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A woman married to a former politician during the 1971 military dictatorship in Brazil is forced to reinvent herself and chart a new course for her family after a violent and arbitrary act.

“When a mother's courage defies tyranny, hope is reborn.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

NetflixSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Fernanda Torres
Eunice Paiva
Fernanda Montenegro
Eunice Paiva (Older)
Selton Mello
Rubens Paiva
Valentina Herszage
Veroca
Maria Manoella
Veroca
Bárbara Luz
Nalu
Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha
Nalu
Luiza Kosovski
Eliana

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Walter Salles
Writers: Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega
Languages: Portuguese
Countries: Brazil, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Brazil, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Walter Salles, shot by Adrian Teijido. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Warren Ellis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Affonso Gonçalves shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro and Selton Mello carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When a mother's courage defies tyranny, hope is reborn.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Walter Salles directs. Adrian Teijido behind the camera. Warren Ellis scores. Affonso Gonçalves cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Brazil, France. Dialogue in Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.5× over at the box office.
2Released 2 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: Brazil, France.
4Directed by Walter Salles, shot by Adrian Teijido. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Warren Ellis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Affonso Gonçalves shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro and Selton Mello carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "When a mother's courage defies tyranny, hope is reborn.".
9IMDB entry: tt14961016 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 40 themes, including "mother", "beach", "husband wife relationship", "based on novel or book".
11Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Adrian Teijido
Original score: Warren Ellis
Editing: Affonso Gonçalves
Costume design: Cláudia Kopke
Makeup / hair: Marisa Amenta
VFX supervisor: Claudio Peralta
Sound: Stéphane Thiébaut
Runtime: 138 min · 2h 18m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $36,361,572
Return: 455% of budget
Original language: PT
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: I'm Still Here (2024)
Metacritic: 85/100
IMDB rating: 8.2/10 · 144,641 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 86 wins & 80 nominations total

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
FIPRESCI Grand Prix
Best Screenplay Award (Venice Film Festival)
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Walter Salles

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2025-01-26
★ 10/10
Films featuring dark political themes are an acquired taste for many moviegoers, but, when they tell personal stories within such a context, they generally become more accessible for audience members, even those who might not ordinarily gravitate to pictures in this genre. That’s a goal expertly accomplished in the latest from director Walter Salles. This superb fact-based offering tells the heart-wrenching story of former Brazilian politician Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello) who, in 1971, was seized by, and subsequently disappeared at the hands of, the military dictatorship that overran in the country at that time. Paiva, who was working as an engineer when captured, was taken because of his liberal-leaning politics, especially in his clandestine efforts to assist those opposed to the oppressive policies and practices of Brazil’s hard-line right-wing authorities. His seizure subsequently led to the detainment of his wife, Eunice (Fernanda Torres), and daughter, Eliana (Luiza Kosovski), in an effort to find out who their husband and father may have associated with, as well as what activities he may have engaged in. This harassment by officials, though, was not enough to stop the determination of Eunice and her family from trying to find out what happened to their loved one. In telling this story, the filmmaker not only relates a tale of high suspense, but also presents a compelling chronicle of a family committed to remaining hopeful and uncovering the truth, no matter how horrendous it might ultimately prove to be. In carrying out this mission, “I’m Still Here” successfully fires on all of its cinematic cylinders, perpetually engaging viewers in a gripping, emotionally charged odyssey, not unlike the films of famed filmmaker Costa-Gavras, most notably “Missing” (1982). In my view, this is the film most deserving of this year’s Oscars for best picture, lead actress (Torres) and international picture, hands down, not to mention a bushel of overlooked nominations in other categories. By all means, do not pass this one up.
CinemaSerf2025-01-30
★ 7/10
The Paiva family leads an ordinary life until one night when a knock on their door changes things for ever. Rubens (Selton Mello) was formerly a Labour Party congressman in Brazil but now that the military have taken over, he is suspected of ties with the outlawed Communists. He is taken away and shortly after his wife Eunice (Fernanda Torres) and their elder daughter is also taken in for interrogation. For the next twenty minutes or so as she spends an intangible time in jail, we are exposed to some of the most effective cinematic menace I've ever felt. There is no graphic violence nor very little angry dialogue. Indeed, there isn't a great deal of actual physical threat at all. Her imprisonment and her deprivation of information is the stick they beat her with and it's profoundly traumatic. When she is released a week later, she returns home to find nobody has or will disclose any information about her missing husband. As time goes by she and their family have to come to terms with both the emotional and the practical implications as they try to look to the future, unsure of what's in their past. It's perhaps easy to forget amidst the militaristic history of 1970s South America that Brazil also had it's junta and it's fair share of bodies disappearing and that threat is never far away as the film proceeds to slowly follow her attempts to get to the truth, closure and to regain a positive sense of her own purpose. Torres is on great form here. She manages to imbue her characterisation with a fear but also with a sense of defiance. It's not reckless - she has a family to consider, but it's a determined effort to get to the facts, however unpleasant and however long it takes. The intensity of the main plot is diverted, occasionally, by the family and it's own aspirations and problems as they too must come to terms without a father whom they genuinely loved and by the denouement I felt quite drained by just the mere observation of their experiences. To live in a land where routine and permanent disappearances are every day occurrences is unrecognisable to most of us in the West. This reminds us to count our blessings.
r96sk2025-02-27
★ 8/10
<em>'I’m Still Here'</em> undoubtedly merits praise, it's an astutely made picture regarding a dark time in Brazilian history. The film's biggest plus, for me, is how warmly they portray the Paivas, it genuinely feels as if you are watching a real family; the actors play a big part in that, of course. Fernanda Torres is the standout, rightly so given she leads much of what we see. An excellent performance! Selton Mello sticks out too, as do all of the relatively younger cast members; e.g. Luiza Kosovski and Valentina Herszage. There isn't anyone onscreen who puts a foot wrong. I will say that I don't think this needed to be a 138 minute movie, there are a couple of moments where I felt like it was going to conclude and it didn't. This isn't a major detail though, because it is a film of sturdy quality and is most definitely worth viewing.