CinemaAinda I’m here reopens family album stained by the military dictatorship

The military dictatorship was one of the saddest chapters in Brazilian history and our cinema has always tried to represent the period, marked by authoritarianism and repression, in the most varied forms, whether in documentary format, such as Goat (1984), from Eduardo Coutinhoor in fact fictions, such as in Marighella (2019), Wagner Moura.

Centered on the effect of terrifying, ubiquitous and defined face -free power of the military, I’m still herenew work of Walter Salles (Central do Brasil) – Based on the actual story of the writer’s family MARCELO RUBENS PAIVAand that arrives at the Globeplay catalog from this Sunday, April 6 -, invites us to open an album of memories stained by the horrors of the period.

As a sad irony, I’m still here It starts with a warm and warm meeting between family and friends. Some moments give clues that something is not correct, but the moment is affectionate and friendly, a pulse of life and dialogue. The scene of family photography, which prints the poster, will be resignified until the end of the feature, but not without first succeeding by a clear turn, which occurs when Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello, The Auto da Compadecida) is taken to interrogation to never be seen again.

In the home, they are Eunice Paivainterpreted by FERNANDA TORRES (Foreign land) – nominated for the category of best actress in the Oscar, from where the film won the award for best international film – and their five children, among them a young MARCELO RUBENS PAIVAwhich would become the author of the book of the same name used to develop the script written by by Walter Salles together with MURILO HAUSER and Heitor Lorega – Double winner of the best script award at the Venice Festival.

With the tragedy of the loss of the patriarch, father and husband, there is a break in that idyllic world of Paiva. The house closes, representing the arrival of oppression. The presence of music, so vibrant in the beginning, gives way to silence and anguish, requiring a new approach to filming, with more fixed cameras and dark spaces, which reflect the tension of the period.

It is worth highlighting the way the dictatorship agents are portrayed. Instead of being shown as brutal, Walter Salles He chooses to present them as complex beings, making the scenes of violence even more disturbing. Not I’m still hereExplore physical violence; It is worked more psychologically, gaining air from a distressing terror. Given the constant presence of this “friendly” enemy in the house, the Eunice Daming feelings and hiding the truth of children.

FERNANDA TORRES He is at the height of his career in a sweeping and frighteningly exciting performance. Through glances and gestures, the actress can convey feelings and pain, as well as living moments of giving chills. Their scenes in the Department of Political and Social Order (DOPS) are suffocating and revolting. The sounds in the background resemble something already done in Zone of interestOscar’s long winner for the Oscar 2024, where we know what happens there, although we are never eyewitness to that terror.

Despite the tragic history, the feature Salles does not force an emotional response from the public; On the contrary, containment in performances and direction creates a complicity with the characters, allowing the public to feel the arbitrariness of life and power.

The film also stands out for its unique approach, which contrasts with the fragmentation of the typical narrative of modern productions. In times of streaming and fast content, I’m still here It proposes a cinematic experience that values ​​time and depth, allowing the audience to truly connect with the characters and their stories. It is really as if we are sitting in front of a member of the Paiva who is telling us this story stained by the military dictatorship.

However, I’m still here is not limited to telling the story of Eunice or the disappearance of Rubensalso reflecting on an era marked by struggle and the search for a fairer Brazil. In short, the feature is more than a cinematic work on a dark period of Brazilian history, it is a deep reflection on pain, loss and human resilience in the face of oppression.

Walter Salleswith its characteristic sensitivity already known to us Brazilians, transforms the real history of the family Paiva In an intimate yet universal portrait, rescuing painful memories of the military dictatorship and reiterating the importance of not forgetting the errors of the past, proposing that the pain of the victims of authoritarian regimes is understood and respected, further evoking the need to fight for the preservation of democracy so that this stain that, unfortunately, will never disappear, at least never to gain new ink.

Also read: I’m still herewinner of the first Brazilian Oscar, debut at Globoplay

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