brazilian – PopCult Reviews

Movie Review – I’m Still Here

I’m Still Here (2025)
Written by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega
Directed by Walter Salles

In 1964, Brazil experienced a military coup, supported by U.S. forces, against then-president João Goulart and his proposed social reforms. These reforms, including land redistribution, expanded labor rights, and the nationalization of key industries, alarmed conservative politicians, business leaders, the Catholic hierarchy, and much of the officer corps, who framed his government as a step toward communism. The U.S.-backed dictatorship dismantled democratic institutions and installed an authoritarian regime that would last twenty-one years. The dictatorship ruled through censorship, political repression, torture, and forced disappearances, while promoting a narrative of “order” and economic modernization. Though the regime oversaw periods of rapid industrial growth, these gains were unevenly distributed and came at the cost of civil liberties, deepening inequality and leaving lasting scars on Brazilian society that continue to shape its politics and collective memory today.

PopCult Podcast – The Electric State/I’m Still Here

We look at two very different films about people living under oppressive connections. One is a bloated, charmless Netflix original. The other is a passion project about a family struggling to stay together in Brazil during the military dictatorship. Check out our reviews of The Electric State and I’m Still Here.

Movie Review – Aquarius

Aquarius (2016)
Written & Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho

In 1980, Clara had survived breast cancer and celebrates her aunt’s birthday with her family in her home in the Aquarius apartment building. Her home in Recife, Brazil overlooks the beautiful beach, and she feels at peace with her husband, her children, and this renewed life she has having conquered cancer. Over thirty years later, she is a widow, still living in the same apartment with only her housekeeper as a regular companion. A developing company is attempting to buy Clara out so they can demolish the building and construct office high rises. Clara refuses and has become the only resident left in the Aquarius. We follow the aging woman for the next few months as the company, who already owns the remaining apartments, tries to drive her out and how Clara reflects on her life.