“I’m still here”: why the boycott campaign is on the Internet. See the reasons that lead some people to campaign to boycott the film.
In 2024, the film “I’m Still Here” will be released in Brazil. The film stars Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro and Selton Mello.
The film is inspired by the story of the family of Marcelo Rubens Paiva, journalist and playwright, a book released in 2015.
On January 5, 2025, actress Fernanda Torres becomes the first Brazilian to win the Golden Globe Award.
In this way, the film gains even more visibility in Brazil, which gives rise to a great political discussion about the film, resulting in a boycott campaign.
I'm still here – Synopsis
The film is about the Paiva family, made up of Rubens, his wife and their five children. Rubens was a politician during the Military Regime.
With the harshness and rigor of the military regime and the dictatorship, the family experiences a traumatic event. Soldiers in civilian clothes enter the family home and take Rubens with them.
From that day on, the family begins to live through terrible days. They try to understand what is really happening and why the head of the family is suddenly taken away from them.
The film then portrays the wife's search for answers and justice, and her hope to find her husband again, which is named after the film "I'm Still Here."
Dictatorship, politics and I'm still here
Brazil has a very sad recent past. The truth is that there is little trust in information about the military regime, the dictatorship, the left-wing guerrillas and politics.
Both sides of this story (right and left) still lThey fight for the right to be right and tell their “version” of the past as the correct and true one..
Therefore, it is reasonable to acknowledge that there were many mistakes, crimes and horrors committed by people on both sides of this story.
And in the end, most people simply suffered the consequences of that period, even though there was little they could do about it.
But what impact does all this have on the film? Everything!
Some celebrate the film as a pure and comprehensive portrait of the military regime. They summarize a complex and difficult period in a single film.
In other words, they forget that this is a portrait of one family's experience and present it as the absolute truth of a complex and flawed era, on both sides.
The other side of this struggle sees cinema as a tool of indoctrination. They forget that the film tells the true story of a family that suffers, regardless of the political side.
Thus, they leave aside empathy for the suffering family, and summarize the film as a lying and indoctrinating story to deceive and manipulate the people.
Why is the boycott campaign on the Internet? Because they treat the film as a political tool.
In short, the political finger ruins another experience. A film that can be seen and enjoyed is now a political weapon.
Family experience is downplayed and relegated to a secondary role, only to emphasize a political war over the past.
Movie personality
The film quickly wins the affection and empathy of the viewer by making the experience of the Rubens family very personal and real.
Political issues become the backdrop to the plot, while Fernanda Torres makes the experience tangible, real and sentimental.
In other words, the feelings that the situation provokes in the family do not take into account political and partisan motivations.
The imprisonment of any member of a family, whatever the reason, will never be a cause for joy. The merit of the reason for the arrest is not taken into account by emotions.
Reasons to watch the movie
Given the personal nature of the family experience the film portrays, it is highly recommended that everyone enjoy it. Here are four reasons why:
1 – Be aware of the empathy exercise.
Families suffer, whether they are right-wing or left-wing. Watching the film and creating empathy is an exercise in dignified humanity.
2- Observe the art.
Art needs no justification, which is why you can and should watch the film to appreciate the art, especially since it is a period film.
3 – Look to have an opinion.
Don't stop watching it because someone said it's not good or not worth watching. Watch the movie to have material to form your own opinion.
4- Politically motivated surveillance.
Watching the film, even if it has a “political game”, is valid. Watch to learn and observe the point of view of the “opposition”.
Leave it aside
“I’m still here”: why the boycott campaign is on the Internet. Now that you understand the reasons for this boycott, you realize that it is not reasonable.
Watch the film for art, for knowledge, and above all, for the exercise of empathy. Let us not allow human suffering to become another political tool.
