Brazil's Dark Past Unveiled in Oscar-Winning Film by Walter Salles

Last week, "I'm still here" won an Oscar in the category of best international film. It was the first time in the award's history that it went to a film from Brazil – and for Walter Salles, it was an extra emotional experience since he was close friends with the family at the center of the film.

It was a house where the doors were always open, where there was always joy. Then one day, everything was closed, and the military was guarding the house, Salles tells TT during the film festival in Venice.

Torture and Murder

What had happened was that the father of the family, Rubens Paiva, was taken for questioning, tortured, and murdered. Brazil had a hard-line military dictatorship from 1964 to 1979, which took power through a US-backed military coup. Everything that breathed left was opposed, thousands of opposition members were imprisoned or murdered.

When Rubens Paiva disappeared never to be seen again, his wife Eunice took care of the five children, while trying to find out what had happened to her husband.

When he disappeared, it hit me for the first time what a dictatorship means, that there are people who decide who should live or die. I have loads of memories from that time, it shaped the film.

"Impossible" to Film

The Paiva family's story has been portrayed in a book written by Eunice. Salles began preparing the filming as early as 2015, but says that during the years when the far-right Bolsonaro was the country's president, it would have been impossible to make the film. He means that, for example, they would not have been able to get permission to film on the streets of Rio.

I loved the book. And the film is also about today, about how close we were to a new dictatorship. There was a coup attempt, and it was literally incredibly close to a new dictatorship.

The role of Eunice Paiva is played by Fernanda Torres, one of Brazil's most acclaimed actresses. She was nominated for an Oscar for best female lead for "I'm still here". Born in 1965, she has her own memories of the dictatorship.

My dad worked with theater, one of his colleagues just disappeared. My mom was interviewed by a newspaper and was called in for questioning, "it says that you laughed at a question about the government, why did you do that". Dad was going to put up a musical, the day before the premiere it was stopped by the authorities. So I remember, she says.

Is film an effective weapon in these contexts? Yes, believes Walter Salles.