By ERIK CHICONELLI GOMES*
Commentary on the film directed by Walter Salles
I'm still here transcends mere historical representation to establish itself as a living document of Brazilian collective memory. The film masterfully appropriates everyday experiences to construct a narrative that highlights the multiple layers of resistance present in Brazilian society during the dictatorial period.
The narrative construction proposed by Walter Salles closely dialogues with the idea that history manifests itself through the experiences lived by ordinary individuals, especially those who find themselves in situations of oppression and resistance. In this sense, the choice to center the narrative on Eunice, masterfully played by Fernanda Torres, is not only an aesthetic decision, but also a methodological one.
The film highlights how power structures materialize in people's daily lives, transforming living spaces into places of surveillance and oppression. The opening scene, with the helicopter flying over Leblon beach, establishes a powerful metaphor for the omnipresence of the state's repressive apparatus.
The protagonist’s transformation from a typical housewife from Rio’s elite into a figure of resistance demonstrates how historical situations can mobilize individuals beyond their predetermined social positions. This change reflects a broader historical process of social awareness and mobilization.
The narrative establishes a deep dialogue with everyday resistance practices, demonstrating how small actions to confront the regime manifested themselves in the simplest gestures, from preserving family memories through Super 8 filming to maintaining hope in the midst of forced disappearance.
Adrian Tejido’s photographic work deserves special mention for its ability to visually convey the dialectic between oppression and resistance. The conscious use of light and shadow creates an atmosphere that reflects the contradictions of the historical period portrayed.
The presence of the handheld camera at certain moments establishes a direct connection with Brazilian cinema verite, creating a bridge between fiction and historical document. This aesthetic choice reinforces the film's commitment to historical truth without giving up its narrative power.
The film's narrative construction directly engages with historiographical research that highlights the systematic nature of state violence during the military regime. The scene of Rubens Paiva's arrest, portrayed with restrained but impactful brutality, echoes the accounts documented by the National Truth Commission about the methods of repression used by the State.
The environment of DOI-CODI, portrayed with calculated coldness by Walter Salles, represents not only a physical space of torture, but symbolizes an entire institutionalized system of repression. Fernanda Torres' performance in these moments translates cinematically what the DOPS archives, now available for research, reveal about the treatment given to political prisoners.
Paiva’s family narrative serves as a microcosm for understanding a broader issue: the systematic dismantling of Brazil’s democratic structures. The film highlights how the intellectual middle class, which initially supported the coup, gradually fell victim to the repressive apparatus it helped legitimize.
The most compelling aspect of the film lies in its ability to demonstrate how state terrorism operated on several levels. In addition to physical violence, the film exposes the psychological violence perpetrated against the families of those who disappeared for political reasons. Eunice's relentless search for information about her husband reflects a reality that is still present in Brazilian society.
Walter Salles manages to capture, through Eunice's transformation, the process of forced politicization that many families experienced during the regime. The film engages with historiographical studies that demonstrate how women, especially the wives and mothers of political disappearances, became important agents of resistance.
The constant presence of fear, represented through subtle elements such as suspicious looks and whispered conversations, is also found in the testimonies collected by researchers who studied the memory of the period. The film highlights how psychological terror was a deliberate tool of social control.
The use of family archive footage in Super 8 not only serves as an aesthetic resource, but also represents an important historical source about the period. These home movies, common among middle-class families at the time, became important documents for understanding daily life during the dictatorship.
The film also addresses the issue of impunity and institutional silencing. The lack of answers about the fate of Rubens Paiva reflects a larger problem: the policy of concealment and denial that persists to this day in sectors of Brazilian society.
The transition between historical periods is masterfully represented by the presence of Fernanda Montenegro as the Eunice of the 2000s. This narrative choice dialogues with studies on memory and collective trauma, demonstrating how the wounds of the dictatorship remain open in subsequent generations.
The film highlights how the family structure, traditionally seen as a space of protection, became a direct target of state violence. The destabilization of family relationships was an integral part of the regime's renewed strategy of terror.
The representation of the Rio elite and its contradictions is supported by historiographical studies on the role of the privileged classes during the military regime. The film exposes the fissures within this social class, showing how initial support for the coup turned into resistance when the violence reached their own circles.
Through his narrative, Walter Salles manages to contribute to what historians have called the “duty of memory.” The film establishes itself not only as an artistic work, but as an important document for the construction of a collective memory of the period.
The lack of definitive answers about Rubens Paiva's fate, maintained in the film, speaks to the ongoing struggle for truth and justice in Brazil. The film highlights how the disappearance was a state policy that continues to reverberate in the present.
The work is part of an important moment of historiographical review of the dictatorial period, contributing to deconstructing narratives that minimize or justify the protection of human rights committed by the Brazilian State.
*Erik Chiconelli Gomes is a postdoctoral fellow at the Faculty of Law at USP.
Reference
I'm still here
Brazil, 2024, 135 minutes.
Directed by: Walter Salles.
Screenplay: Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega.
Cinematography: Adrian Teijido.
Editing: Affonso Gonçalves.
Art Direction: Carlos Conti
Music: Warren Ellis
Cast: Fernanda Torres; Fernanda Montenegro; Selton Mello; Valentina Herszage, Luiza Kosovski, Barbara Luz, Guilherme Silveira and Cora Ramalho, Olivia Torres, Antonio Saboia, Marjorie Estiano, Maria Manoella and Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha.
REFERENCES
Alves, Maria Helena Moreira. State and Opposition in Brazil (1964-1984), Petropolis: Voices, 1984.
ARNS, Paulo Evaristo. Brazil: Never Again . Petropolis, Voices, 1985.
Brazil. National Truth Commission. Final report. Brasilia: CNV, 2014.
STAY, Carlos. How They Acted: The Underground of the Military Dictatorship. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2001.
Gaspari, Elio. The Scanned Dictatorship🇧🇷 São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002.
Joffily, Mariana. At the Center of the Gear: The Interrogations in Operation Bandeirante and at the DOI of São Paulo (1969-1975)🇧🇷 São Paulo: Edusp, 2013.
PAIVA, Marcelo Rubens. I'm still here. Rio de Janeiro: Objective, 2015.
Kings Son, Daniel Aaron. Military Dictatorship, Left and Society Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar, 2000.
Ridenti, Marcelo. The Ghost of the Brazilian Revolution. São Paulo: Editora UNESP, 2010.
Teles, Janaina de Almeida. The Heirs of Memory: The Struggle of the Relatives of the Dead and Disappeared Politically for Truth and Justice in Brazil. Campinas: Editora da Unicamp, 2017.
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