I’m Still Here: Artful Story of Resilience

Riveting and beautiful, I'm Still Here is an emotional story of a family under dictatorship, yet doesn't move much beyond that.

Rating: 6.6/10

Highlights

• Shot on beautiful film

• Artfully crafted world of 1970s Brazil

• Powerfully campaigned for the value of love

Lowlights

• Choice of showing three time periods felt unnecessary and broke up the film

• Sometimes confusing to follow the characters

• Lacked a deeper message

I'm Still Here is suspenseful, historically informative, well-shot — a successful political thriller overall, but the film lacked a meaningful message beyond the straightforward narrative. I appreciated learning something niche about a country and administration I knew little about, and the framework of exploring Brazil's military dictatorship through a tight-knit family was effective. Notably, the film was beautiful — I'm Still Here managed to capture the aesthetic essence of the 1970s with wonderfully expressive film and costuming that embodied the spirit of the era. Eunice's story is incredibly inspiring, and it's a powerful message of love, yet it left me wanting a more substantial message. 

Enjoyed I'm Still Here? Watch Seed of the Sacred Fig, a film that similarly explores a restrictive administration from a family's perspective in modern-day Iran. I've written a review on the film here. 

Watch the trailer!