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A mother is forced to reinvent herself when her family’s life is shattered by an act of arbitrary violence during the tightening of Brazil’s military dictatorship, 1971. Selected by the Brazilian Film Academy to compete for Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Oscars. Eunice Paiva: Martha, you have to help me. My husband is in danger! Martha: Everyone is in danger, Eunice.. Featured in Mais Você: Episode of December 3, 2024 (2024). The Feast of the Holy King Written by Léo Maia (as Marcio Leonardo) Starring Tim Maia. Adapted from Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s novel, “I’m Still Here”; in fact, it enhances the book by focusing on the Paiva family and how each member was stunned and devastated by the disappearance of their father (played with deep affection by Selton Mello). Anchored by a powerful performance by Fernanda Torres as matriarch Eunice, the film recounts the horrors of the Brazilian dictatorship without ever being preachy or heavy-handed. By focusing on the human aspects and the sense of loss of those who never received and never responded to the disappearance of a loved one, the script grows stronger as it goes on. All of the performances by the young actors are top-notch – a rare feat in Brazilian cinema – but it is Fernanda Torres’ incredibly restrained performance that really sticks with you. She is persuasive and moving, without ever being melodramatic, in a work of mastery. This is the best Brazilian film in recent years, a gift from director Walter Salles ("Central Station"). Watch out for the brief but powerful cameo by Fernanda Montenegro (an Oscar nominee for "Central Station") at the end. "I’m Still Here" is a movie to cherish and keep.
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