I'm Still Here
![Watch film I'm Still Here — Official Trailer [Subtitled]](https://www.acmodasi.in/amdb/images/posters/i/n/im-still-here-2024-je92L.webp)
Short description
Set in Rio de Janeiro in 1971, I'm Still Here centres on the Paiva family: Rubens, a former congressman and engineer, his wife Eunice, and their five children. Their home near the beach is a warm, open place, a refuge of affection and humour that quietly resists the atmosphere of Brazil's military dictatorship. That life is shattered when soldiers arrive and take Rubens away for questioning. He does not come back, and Eunice must rebuild the family's future while pressing for answers about what happened to her husband.
The film is directed by Walter Salles, working from a screenplay by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega. It is his first narrative feature since On the Road, and it comes well after the run of films that established him internationally, among them Central Station, Behind the Sun and The Motorcycle Diaries. Fernanda Torres plays Eunice, with Fernanda Montenegro as the older Eunice; Selton Mello plays Rubens, and Valentina Herszage, Maria Manoella and Bárbara Luz are among the supporting cast. The production involved Brazilian and French companies.
Made for about 8 million dollars, the film took roughly 36 million worldwide, a strong return for a subtitled drama. On IMDb it holds 8.1 from about 146,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.9 from a smaller base. A critics' rating of 8.2 from 205 reviews places it close to the audience scores, suggesting broad agreement rather than a sharp divide.
What's left behind the scenes
- In one scene, television journalist Sid Moreira can be seen on a television screen. Moreira did work in television during the period in which the film is set, however, his voice was not taken from archival footage but was specially recorded for the film.
- To prepare for the role of Rubens Paiva, Celton Mello gained 20 kg.
- According to Fernanda Torres, director Walter Salles cut all scenes from the film in which she cried. Marcelo Rubens Paiva said that his mother never cried in front of loved ones and always kept her composure.
- As Fernanda Torres repeatedly recounted, director Walter Salles's decision to shoot all the scenes in the order they were written in the script was made at the last moment. Salles explained this as a necessity to allow the actors to bond as members of a real family and to better feel the growing sense of fear and oppression.
- Marcelo Rubens Paiva, son of Eunice and Rubens and author of the book, unsuccessfully dove into the water in 1979 and became paralyzed at the age of 20. Therefore, he is shown in a wheelchair in his later years.
- Director Walter Salles met the Paiva family in his childhood.
- In reality, Yunis Paiva is very thin, and she lost another 11 kg during her 12 days in custody. Fernanda Torres, who played this role, lost about 10 kg while preparing for filming.
- Guilherme Silveira was on Leblon beach when a film casting team approached him and offered him an audition. Despite his surprise, he agreed – that's how he got the role of Marcelo Rubens Paiva.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
