de facto film reviews 3.5 stars

I’m Still Here is the latest film from director Walter Salles, the Brazilian filmmaker who has previously helmed films such as Central Station and The Motorcycle Diaries. Here, as in those films, Salles proves himself adept at quickly establishing character and place, with tiny scenes between people, moments that seem almost stolen. And it is the theme of stolen time that echoes throughout this film, which is capped off by a terrific Fernanda Torres as the wife of a vanished politician.

Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics

As the film begins, at Christmas 1970, the (true) story that unfolds is that of Rubens Paiva and his family, Rubens has returned to Brazil, now under military dictatorship, following years of exile. His eldest daughter is planning to go to England, and he is quietly making plans to arrange for his family to be safe, because he can sense the authorities are interested in him, and with reason. Rubens had stood up to the regime when it was formed and is now involved with people who are skeptical or outright critical of it. Given his background, he is seen as a threat.

The film opens with scenes of the family at play, and you get to see how loving they are, and how devoted he and his wife, Eunice, are to one another. He is not a violent man but he is compassionate and his indirect assistance leads to his disappearance. This is quickly followed by his wife and second oldest daughter also being arrested, spending many days being interrogated by authorities. When Rubes does not return home, it becomes clear he is dead, but the question is, who is responsible and where is the body? These are the two questions asked throughout the film.

Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics

Though the film jumps forward, twice, it is very much concerned with the past and how those of the present must engage with the crimes of history. Eunice, upon being freed from her imprisonment for asking about her husband, leads a life dedicated to justice. She becomes a renowned attorney, receives official confirmation of his fate-long after the fall of the regime-and insists, to the end, that the past must be accounted for. While the scenes of Eunice in 1996 and 2014 are brief, they are vital. Yet, it is the work of Torres, at home with the children and in prison, asking about or worrying about her husband and family, that register most deeply.

Salles is a gifted director that not only knows how to wring every ounce of meaning and connection from every little moment, but he can add great tension to two people sitting in a room. Despite the gravity of the situation, the film also has humor and warmth, provided both early on, when the family is together and later, when the truth is known. In between, there is sadness and heartbreak, but also a growing resolve to do what is right, and to resist the oppression of a brutal dictatorship.

Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics

Torres is given a tremendous opportunity, and does not waste a single frame of her time onscreen. This is bold, heated, thoughtful and passionate acting. You know what she is thinking and feeling, and you feel it with her, because of the way she holds her shoulders, or changes her posture. Because of an inflection in her voice, or a sigh. She gets to have her grand scenes of anger but more often, desperate loneliness and sadness, fueled by that anger. This, we see, is a woman who has decided that if her husband is not coming back and no tombstone will be erected, justice will become his monument. This is a film that knows which shots to linger on and which to cut away from, aided by the luxurious photography of Adrian Teijido. Salles has once again provided the world with a universal story within a very specific Latin American instance. Do not miss this one.

I’m Still Here opens in select theaters January 17th and expands nationwide in February.