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The military dictatorship that held such a brutal sway over Brazil between 1964 and 1985 may have been consigned to the history books, yet there remain moments from that dark and repressive period in the country's history that are still being uncovered to this day.

In I'm Still Here, two-time BAFTA winner Walter Salles uses one family's real-life story of resilience and resistance to honour the thousands of "desaparecidos" (disappeared), who were snatched from their loved ones during the tyranny and never seen again.

He pays tribute not only to those who were disappeared, but also to those who remained, who fought for their return – and their memory – in the face of intimidation, persecution and callous official intransigence.

In 1970s Rio de Janeiro, the Paiva family live in a rented house by the beach that positively pulsates with joy, life and humour. Together with their five children, Eunice (Fernanda Torres) and her husband Rubens (Selton Mello) operate an open-door policy that welcomes any friend, free-thinker or stray puppy that happens to cross their threshold.

On one fateful day, however, Rubens is taken away for questioning by armed agents of the ruling dictatorship.

It is the start of a decades-long ordeal for Eunice, who must find the strength and courage needed to reinvent herself, redefine her entire life and hold her family together, while fighting for the truth about her husband's abduction.

That Salles knew the Paivas and spent some of his most formative years in their home in the late 1960s brings a powerfully personal resonance to a drama that marks the Brazilian's first return to narrative filmmaking since 2012's On The Road.

The film, which is based on the Paivas' son Marcelo's memoir, exudes integrity and authenticity, propelling it to win Best Screenplay at Venice Film Festival. It has since been selected as Brazil's submission for this year's Best International Feature at the Oscars. This is a major awards contender that could also see Salles and Torres recognised in the Best Director and Best Actress categories.

It's guaranteed too to be a significant cultural talking point; the recent rise of the far right in Brazil has uncomfortable echoes of this film's setting.

I'm Still Here is cut from the same rich fabric as Salles' previous award winners, The Motorcycle Diaries and Central Station and it sees one of the world's most empathic directors serving a story that simply demands to be seen.  Neil Smith

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