OVERLAY REPORT

In the film **"I'm Still Here" (2024)**—originally titled *Ainda Estou Aqui*—the main character is **Eunice Paiva**, portrayed by **Fernanda Torres** (during the 1970s and 90s) and her mother, **Fernanda Montenegro** (in the film's final years). Eunice is a mother of five whose life is shattered when her husband, the former congressman and engineer **Rubens Paiva**, is "disappeared" by the Brazilian military dictatorship in 1971. The film follows her transformation from a housewife to a resolute human rights lawyer and activist. ### **Most Memorable Lines and Their Significance** Eunice is defined by a "quiet inner strength," and her most memorable lines often reflect her resilience, her refusal to be broken by grief, and her demand for justice. **1. “What do you mean 'don't smile'? Yes, we're going to smile. Smile, children!”** * **Context:** In one of the film’s most striking scenes, a photographer for *Manchete* magazine asks the Paiva family to look somber for an article about Rubens’ disappearance. * **Significance:** Eunice refuses to let the state or the media define her family solely by their tragedy. Her insistence on smiling is a profound act of defiance and a commitment to preserving the joy of her children’s lives despite their nightmare. **2. “My children and I are tired of punching the tip of the knife.”** * **Context:** Spoken to the press/journalists regarding their long struggle to find the truth. * **Significance:** This line is a common Brazilian idiom (*dar murro em ponta de faca*) that means to persist in a hopeless or painful struggle. It signals her pragmatic decision to relocate the family to São Paulo and reinvent herself, showing that survival sometimes means choosing when to fight and when to pivot for the sake of the living. **3. “Not acknowledging the death of Rubens Paiva was the most violent form of torture they could inflict on our family.”** * **Context:** This reflects her years-long legal battle for a death certificate. * **Significance:** It highlights the specific psychological cruelty of the "disappeared"—where the State refuses to confirm a death, leaving families in a legal and emotional limbo for decades. **4. “I really don't understand, how in a country with an allegedly functioning justice system, someone can break into your house, take a father away... and then simply say 'he's gone.'”** * **Context:** A public statement she makes early in the film after her own 12-day imprisonment and interrogation. * **Significance:** It establishes her as a voice for the rule of law, marking the beginning of her journey toward becoming a lawyer who would eventually hold the state accountable. **5. “Take care of my coat, then, I'll want it back.”** * **Context:** Spoken to her eldest daughter, Vera (Veroca), as she leaves for London. * **Significance:** This seemingly simple parental instruction carries heavy subtext; it is a promise of a future return to a normal life where borrowed coats are returned, contrasting with the permanent loss of her husband. ### **Character Background** Eunice is the emotional and moral center of the film. After Rubens is taken, she is also arrested and tortured for nearly two weeks. Upon her release, she decides to hide the full horror of what is happening from her youngest children to protect their innocence. The film spans several decades, showing her studying law in her 40s and finally receiving Rubens' official death certificate in 1996—a victory for which she was largely responsible. The movie concludes with her in 2014, living with Alzheimer's but still surrounded by the family she fought so hard to keep together.