Runner up - I’m Still Here
Oscar Tidbit: I'm Still Here took home the Oscar for Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Academy Awards — well done and well deserved! It was also nominated for Best Picture (personally, I think Wicked should’ve won, but the Oscar went to Anora). Fernanda Torres earned a Best Actress nomination for her incredible performance, but the win went to Mikey Madison for Anora — though let’s be honest, it really should’ve gone to Demi Moore.
Political historical dramas aren’t usually my go-to genre—especially those steeped in real-life trauma. But this one, set during Brazil’s brutal military dictatorship (1964–1985), struck a different chord. There’s no climactic rebellion, no Hollywood-style catharsis. Instead, the film unfolds with quiet restraint, focusing on the personal cost of state violence. It’s not about the fight for justice; it’s about the hollow silence that follows a disappearance.
The film tells the true story of Eunice Paiva, wife of former congressman Rubens Paiva, and their five children. In 1970, their home in Rio de Janeiro—by Leblon Beach—is filled with joy, music, books, and warmth. But their idyllic life is shattered when Rubens is taken in for questioning—and never returns. This isn’t a spoiler; the film doesn’t hinge on twists, but on the emotional aftermath and the absence of closure.
As Eunice searches for answers, she’s told, “We’re all in danger.” That line lingers. The fear is ever-present, and atrocities unfold daily beneath the façade of a sunlit vacation town. When Eunice and her daughter Eliana are later detained and psychologically tortured, the message becomes clear: silence and survival are intertwined.
Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s memoir “I'm Still Here,” the film honors Eunice’s resilience. Despite her grief, she holds her family together and eventually rebuilds her life—becoming a professor and advocate for Indigenous rights. It’s not a happy ending, but it offers a kind of hope grounded in dignity and strength. It feels fitting to write this just before Mother’s Day—a tribute to Eunice, a mother who faced the unthinkable and endured.
