Ainda Estou Aqui (Brazil, 2024) and the Quiet Rebellion of a Woman’s Life

Set in the shadow of Brazil’s military dictatorship, Ainda Estou Aqui (2024) is not the kind of film that shouts. It doesn’t explode. It doesn’t cry out for your attention. And yet, when I watched it, I couldn’t look away.

It crept in — quietly, painfully, beautifully — and stayed with me long after the credits faded. Not because the film begged for it, but because it whispered so much truth — about identity, about resilience, and about the quiet revolutions that often go unseen.

Official poster for Ainda Estou Aqui (2024), directed by Walter Salles. © VideoFilmes / RT Features / MACT Productions / Arte France Cinéma / Conspiração Filmes / Globoplay. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing (Brazil), StudioCanal (France). In this picture: Selton Mello, Fernanda Torres, Cora Mora, and Guilherme Silveira .

Ainda Estou Aqui (internationally titled I’m Still Here), directed by Walter Salles, immediately caught my attention — not just for its quiet power, but also for the impressive collaboration behind it. A blend of Brazilian and French vision, it was produced by VideoFilmes, RT Features, MACT Productions, Arte France Cinéma, Conspiração Filmes, and Globoplay, and brought to audiences through Sony Pictures Releasing in Brazil and StudioCanal in France.

The Story That Stayed