Review – I’m Still Here (2024) directed by Walter Salles.
Watched on October 9th, 2024
Rating: 5/5 Stars
62nd New York Film Festival (2024): Film #11
U.S. Premiere - Q&A with Walter Salles, Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, and Marcelo Rubens Paiva
Sony Pictures Classics, if you're listening: start the campaign for Fernanda Torres for best leading actress at the 2025 Oscars.
This may be my favorite leading actress performance all year. I worry it may be under-looked by the Academy because there's not really an "Oscar" moment or scene, but that's the brilliance in this performance. Her demeanor and performance is so understated yet carried by such vibrant nuance and confidence and clarity that completely blew me away. Every time she was on screen and leading this film, it was beyond words. I think it's a testament to her performance that not only was this film one of two other films I've seen at the festival with almost the entire audience up for a standing ovation, but Fernanda Torres received her own 1-2 minute standing ovation when she was introduced back on stage for the Q&A. And, on top of this, Marcelo Rubens Paiva (the real life son of the protagonist played by Fernanda Torres) was there tonight to discuss his book which inspired the film. Beyond moving and emotional to see him there given the emotional weight of the film.
For almost the entirety of the film, a lot of people around me seemed to be sniffling or even crying. Sure, I felt the movie was intense and getting emotional, but I felt it hadn’t quite established enough yet to trigger such a reaction, so I was slightly confused. But as I continued to watch this film and learned more about this horrifically true historical event, it connected that, most likely, many of these audience members had direct ties to this moment in history. Whether it be family or friends impacted by this, or even being personal affected, I realized that this movie had such an impact on people because it struck such a personal (and maybe even triggering) chord. Yet, I think this movie handled its very sensitive topic wonderfully and with grace, delivering on what was a powerful (and ultimately a beautiful) film.
And the film itself is utterly brilliant. The way that the cast and director spoke about this film was just beautiful, and there's so much passion and intention behind this difficult-to-swallow story. It sheds light on such a dark moment in history, yet it chooses to focus on the story of a family rather than more traditional tales focused on those deeply intertwined with the direct resistance or conflict. I was worried I would not be pulled into this film coming into it; I didn't get much sleep last night, and this was one of the films at the festival that I knew close to nothing about prior to getting a ticket. Yet, the film was beyond captivating and gripping within the first ten minutes, and I knew by that point that I was in for something special. It's not only a well-made film in terms of performances, filmmaking, and story, but an important film too for what it represents and stands for. Walter Salles has made such a moving and powerful film that I'm not going to forget. To see this with a packed audience that loved and appreciated it so much was incredible. Truly one of the best movies of the year, and one of my favorites at the festival.
Check out the original review posted on Letterboxd here.
