The Brazilian film I'm Still Here, directed by Walter Salles, has taken American audiences by storm. It is the highest-grossing Brazilian film in the United States ever.
The movie about the disappearance of Brazilian Congressman Rubens Paiva in 1970 during the dictatorship has won rave reviews and currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 97%. The film focuses on the effect that his disappearance had on his wife and children. His wife, Eunice Paiva, spent 45 years searching to find out the answer to what happened.
Fernanda Torres, who played Paivas's widow, won the Golden Globe for Best Actress and is considered a frontrunner for the Oscar for Best Actress.
I'm Still Here is also the first Brazilian film to be nominated for Best Picture.
So why did I'm Still Here resonate so deeply with American audiences when other Brazilian films have failed? Payday Report sat down for a lengthy interview with Flavia Guerra, one of the top film critics in Brazil and host of the podcast Plano Geral.
"It's not about news. It's not about statistics," Guerra told Payday Report in an interview. "It's about one family and how a dictatorship damages one family. But one family can be any family. It can be your family, my family, [and] that's why I think the film is so strong."
The film also comes at a time when democracy is under threat from fascism around the world.
"I think this film is also, talking to us our deep feelings, our fear of having dictatorship back, and not only Brazil, like if you look to Hungary, if you look to Italy, if you look for, you know, other countries, also in Latin America, Argentina, also America, United States," says Guerra.
The film's director, Walter Salles, and lead actress, Fernanda Torres, have been unapologetically political in promoting it and denouncing the rise of fascism. The film has received support from leading Brazilian political figures on the left, including President Lula.
Guerra says that Ainda Estou Aqui presents a picture of hope for how people can survive in tough times.
"I think I always say this is something that we say in Brazil, like we don't have time to be pessimistic, because if we are pessimistic in such a difficult country, we don't survive. It's really true," says Guerra. "We need to be optimistic to keep on fighting every single day."
Previous films about Brazil that were successful overseas tended to focus on drug traffickers or "samba girls" partying on the beach, but Guerra says I'm Still Here has taken Brazilian films to new heights.
"In terms of self esteem, it's huge, you know, Brazil and we have this Vira Lata complex, isn't it? Stray dog complex? You know, we are always looking down to (on) us (ourselves)," says Guerra. "I think it's also important in this term of you know, and also in terms of production, because we are in the game, you know, we are a serious player."
