I’M STILL HERE

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

1970, Rio de Janeiro – Brazil is under a military dictatorship. Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres) is at a beach with some of her children. They find a stray dog on the beach and name it Pimpao, which they take home despite knowing their parents won’t let them keep it.

Eunice has five children – Marcelo (Guilherme Silveira), Vera (Valentina Herszage), Eliana (Luiza Kozovski), Nalu (Barbara Luz), and Maria Beatriz/Babiu (Cora Mora). Her husband/their father Rubens (Selton Mello) is a former congressman who lost his position after the 1964 coup d’etat, prompting him into self-imposed exile.

While Vera is out with friends, they are stopped and frisked by officers at a checkpoint. At home, Eunice and Rubens watch the news and see that the Swiss ambassador was kidnapped. The two discuss plans to try and leave Brazil since it is getting less safe. Two of Rubens’ close friends are planning to seek shelter in London. Rubens doesn’t let his family know about the work he is involved in. Rubens sends Vera to London with the couple to make sure the shelter is not a scam. After a few months, Vera sends her family letters and a roll of super-8 film.

The Paivas are later visited by a man, Dr. Schneider (Luis Bertazzo), along with other armed men accompanying him. They call for Rubens since they know of his history in Congress, and they order him to join them for him to give a deposition. After Rubens leaves, Schneider and the men remain in the house, which makes Eunice uncomfortable. She later goes through Rubens’ study to find several written items among his belongings. Eunice and Eliana are later taken out of the house for questioning, forced to wear black hoods as they are escorted to a station.

At the station, Eunice is separated from Eliana and questioned about Rubens’ supposed ties to communism, which she denies. The interrogating officer also questions her about Vera in London. Eunice is later imprisoned for continued questioning, while Eliana is let go after 24 hours. She is held captive for 12 days and witnesses and hears the cruelty inflicted upon the other prisoners by the soldiers. When she returns home, she is traumatized but more concerned for her children.

Eunice later meets with Rubens’ colleagues/fellow expatriates to get a word out in the press over Rubens’ disappearance and Eunice and Eliana’s imprisonment. When she goes back to the station, the officers deny that Rubens is there, and the family does not have enough evidence to prove he was arrested. Eunice later goes to her kids’ school to talk to their teacher, Martha (Carla Ribas), who was seen in a photograph with Rubens during Eunice’s questioning. Martha mentions that she was taken along with Rubens, but she fears reporting the arrest over any possible retaliation.

Eunice questions Rubens’ friend and coworker Boca (Dan Stulbach) over anything that Rubens may have been involved with. At home, the family is devastated when Pimpao is fatally struck by a car. Eunice spots the men who have been spying on the family and angrily orders them to leave. The family buries Pimpao in the backyard.

Eunice receives a letter from Martha, admitting that she did hear Rubens’ name during her imprisonment. She is later told by a friend, Felix (Humberto Corrao) that Rubens was reported to have “died in combat”. Vera later returns home from London. A journalist later takes a picture of Eunice and the kids, all smiling (except for Vera) even though they were told not to, right before Eunice talks to him regarding the case surrounding Rubens’ disappearance and death.

Eunice later announces to the kids that she is going back to college and is sending them to live with their grandparents in Sao Paulo. In 1996, Eunice has long since graduated law school and become a full-fledged lawyer, doing work on cases regarding repossessed land, and the dictatorship has long ended. She is later summoned to the courthouse with Marcelo and Babiu (both grown up, along with their siblings), where they are officially given Rubens’ death certificate. Eunice speaks to reporters outside, who ask her how she feels with this bit of closure. At night, Eunice looks over old photographs, plus numerous articles regarding Rubens’ death.

In 2014, the family is gathered in Sao Paulo, with Eunice’s children now having kids of their own. Eunice (now played by Fernanda Montenegro) has since been living with Alzheimer’s. On the news, she sees a report confirming that Rubens, among many others, was murdered by the military regime with his body never recovered, which triggers Eunice’s memories of her husband. Outside, the family gathers for a photo with Eunice at the center.

The final text states that Rubens Paiva was confirmed to be murdered by the Brazilian government, and those involved were never brought to justice. Eunice devoted the rest of her life to her work as a lawyer and activist who never stopped searching for answers, until her death in 2018.

In 1970, Brazil was living under military dictatorship. Former congressman Rubens Paiva is taken by military police due to his alleged ties to communism. His wife Eunice is imprisoned for nearly two weeks after failing to give up information on her husband. Her teenage daughter Eliana is also imprisoned but let go after 24 hours. Eunice later devotes her time to searching for the truth around her husband's disappearance.

Eunice goes back to college to become a lawyer. By 1996, she has become dedicated to her career, and she receives Rubens' official death certificate. In 2014, an Alzheimer's-stricken Eunice watches a news report that confirms Rubens was among many victims murdered by the military regime. Ending text states that although Rubens' killers were never brought to justice, Eunice devoted the rest of her life to being a lawyer and activist.