45/20
Eunice Paiva: Martha, you have to help me
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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 the military dictatorship in Brazil, 1971. Chosen by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema to compete for Best International Film at the 2025 Oscars.
Featured in Mais Você: Episode 3 December 2024 (2024)
My husband is in danger!Martha: Everyone is in danger, Eunice.. A Festa do Santo Reis Written by Léo Maia (as Marcio Leonardo) Performed by Tim Maia.
Anchored by a strong performance from Fernanda Torres as matriarch Eunice, the film recounts the horrors of the Brazilian dictatorship without ever being preachy or heavy-handed
Adaptation 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). By focusing on the human aspects and the sense of loss of those people who never received and never answered about the disappearance of their loved one, the script grows stronger as it goes on.
It is persuasive and moving, without ever being melodramatic, in a masterpiece
All the young actors’ performances are top-notch – a rare feat in Brazilian cinema – but it’s Fernanda Torres’ incredibly restrained performance that really sticks with you. This is the best Brazilian film in recent years, a gift from director Walter Salles ("Central Station").
"I’m still here" it is a film to cherish and keep
Watch out for the brief but powerful cameo by Fernanda Montenegro (an Oscar nominee for “Central Station”) at the end.
