
The film “I’m Still Here” unfolds in the early 1970s, during Brazil’s military dictatorship that took power following a 1964 coup. This era was marked by wrongful detentions, torture, disappearances, and deaths. Torres portrays Eunice Paiva, wife to exiled opposition leader Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello) and mother of five. Their vibrant household, filled with guests and friends, presents a contrast between the tranquility of their daily life – complete with beach outings, ice cream breaks, impromptu dance parties, soufflé dinners, and more – and the looming political unrest. The couple is well-aware of Brazil’s tumultuous political climate; they converse with friends planning to leave the country, and Rubens occasionally takes private calls and exchanges coded messages. However, when their eldest daughter Vera (Valentina Herszage) and her companions encounter a military checkpoint after watching “Blow-Up“, the distress is tangible.