Why I'm Still Here is resonating with audiences both in Brazil and beyond

I'm Still Here is a film set in the '70s amidst a military dictatorship in Brazil. It tells the true story of Eunice Paiva, a woman whose politician husband was kidnapped and executed by the military in 1971. 

In 2015, her son, Marcelo Rubens Paiva, published his book I'm Still Here, on which the Oscar-nominated film is based.

The film's star, Brazilian actor Fernanda Torres, has received an Oscar nod for her performance as Paiva. While her work on the film has been lauded, her campaign for the best actress award has not been without its challenges.

Today on Commotion, culture critics Nicole Froio and Jackson Weaver discussTorres's Oscar-nominated performance in I'm Still Here, and how the film's chances of winning big are looking this award season.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

Elamin: Nicole, I'm going to start with you. Tell us a little bit more about the real story behind this family.

Nicole: Marcelo decided to write this book because his mother — and this is something that you do see in the film — started getting dementia. The title of the book is a citation from his mother, saying that "I'm still here." Like, "I can still remember." But essentially, he realized that his mother was forgetting things because of dementia, and he wanted to write this book as a way to remember. 

He delved through a lot of the Truth Commission archives, which was something that came into effect in 2012, to understand where his father was taken and where his mother was taken to be tortured and questioned. So it was both, I think, a movement of interviewing his family, but also coming into contact with a history that a lot of Brazilians, especially right-wing Brazilians, would like to forget.

Elamin: Jackson, what do you like about this movie? 

Jackson: I mean, one of the biggest narratives from this film has been Fernando Torres' amazing performance, which is undeniable. It's earned her the best actress nomination for a reason, because that kind of quiet determination — the whole film centres on how she is able to communicate that. As a kind of ant's-eye view on fascism, it has echoes towards modern-day society — democracy being stripped away, and losing liberties, I don't know if that's ringing any bells — but it's something that we can definitely see in all societies.

I know that the director himself has spoken to, maybe accidentally, but he sees mirroring in Brazilian politics right now. So that performance and those messages are definitely strong enough to earn three nominations for not only best actress but best picture, for something that's really affecting people.

Elamin: I really like the casual way in which you said, "Does that ring any bells to anybody? Has anybody been watching the news?" Nicole, what's the emotional impact of watching a movie like this?

Nicole: I think for me it's been interesting to see outsiders' responses to it, because in Brazil … it's still something that really hits close to my heart. When I watched it the first time I cried, and the second time I also cried. I live in Rio, which is where all of this happened. So I've been to some of the places that they show in the film, and I've experienced the bohemian part of Rio, which is where a lot of intellectuals go out in the street and hang out, and have these conversations. And so, this is something that I live today. To see how that was really taken away, because one of the things that the dictatorship really wanted to do was … to take joy away. Like, it was just a very like nuclear family — no partying, no drinking, no nothing. And so we were being really stripped of pleasure as a people. I think that the movie really, really hit my heart in those ways.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Jane van Koeverden.