Marcelo Paiva, a celebrated Brazilian author, wrote his 2015 memoir Ainda Estou Aqui (I’m Still Here) to capture his family’s story as his mother, Eunice Paiva, began losing her memory due to Alzheimer’s. Eunice, who had spent her life fighting for human rights, was now forgetting her past, including her work as a human rights lawyer focused on indigenous rights. Her personal battle for justice began with the disappearance of her husband, Rubens Paiva, an engineer and former congressman, who was arrested and tortured by military police in 1971. The military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985 tortured and killed Rubens, but his body was never found.
Marcelo’s book tells this heartbreaking story, blending personal loss with a larger exploration of Brazil’s painful history. The book became a bestseller in Brazil, and now the Paiva family’s story is gaining international attention through the film adaptation I’m Still Here. The movie, directed by Walter Salles, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and won the Best Screenplay award. It will be released in the U.S. on January 17.
Salles, known for films like City of God and The Motorcycle Diaries, made his first Brazilian film in 16 years with I’m Still Here. The film has already made a significant impact this awards season. On January 5, it won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for Fernanda Torres, who portrays Eunice Paiva. Torres, who is the first Brazilian actress to win this award, beat out well-known stars like Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet. Her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, was nominated for a Golden Globe 25 years ago for another Salles film, Central Station.
The film shows the Paiva family’s happy life in Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s and early 1970s, before the military dictatorship disrupted everything. Rubens is arrested, and Eunice and one of her daughters are also imprisoned and interrogated. Eunice spends decades searching for the truth about her husband’s disappearance. The film then jumps to 1996, when Eunice finally receives his death certificate, and to 2014, when Eunice struggles to remember her past.
I’m Still Here has been a major success in Brazil, with over 3 million viewers and $11 million in box office earnings. As the film gains popularity, it encourages Brazilians to confront their country’s brutal past and reflect on current political issues. The timing of the book and film’s release adds urgency to the Paiva family’s story, with their struggle for justice echoing in Brazil today.
