I finally got around to watching I’m Still Here, and it’s a really great movie deserving of its Oscar win, but something is bugging me about the film’s ending. I’m Still Here tells the harrowing true story of Eunice Paiva, the wife of dissident politician Rubens Paiva, living under the military dictatorship in Brazil in the early 1970s. When Rubens is taken away for a deposition and never comes back, Eunice struggles to balance raising her kids alone with getting to the bottom of her husband’s mysterious disappearance.

I mostly agree with all the praise I’m Still Here has received from critics. Fernanda Torres gives a powerhouse performance in the lead role that really draws you into her turmoil, and director Walter Salles does a great job of capturing the historical political strife on an intimate, personal level. But it’s not quite as тιԍнт as other Best Picture nominees like Conclave and Anora. Even though it’s more than an hour shorter than The Brutalist, I’m Still Here outstays its welcome more than The Brutalist — and the perfect ending was right there.

I’m Still Here Squanders Two Perfect Endings Before It Actually Ends

I’m Still Here Reaches A Natural Stopping Point Twice

Throughout most of its runtime, I’m Still Here is a nail-biting political thriller wrapped up in a moving family drama. But toward the end, it starts to drag out a bit. It reaches two organic endings before it actually ends. The main storyline wraps up when Eunice finally gets an unofficial confirmation of Rubens’ grim fate. As she moved the family to São Paulo and they hit the road, it seemed like the movie was about to end — and it would’ve been a perfect ending. But then, the film jumps forward 25 years to 1996.

The Brazilian government, back to being a democracy after the dictatorship was toppled, sends Eunice an official death certificate for Rubens. This gives her closure on his loss and she gives a rousing monologue about the peace she feels (delivered brilliantly by an Oscar-worthy Torres). This felt like a fitting ending, too, but the film still keeps going. It jumps forward again, this time to 2014, to show an elderly Eunice suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, totally detached from her family.

Why I’m Still Here’s Final Scene Is Unnecessary

It Doesn’t Add Anything Substantial To The Story

The final scene of I’m Still Here is ultimately unnecessary. It’s touching to see a glimmer of recognition when Eunice sees Rubens mentioned on the news, but it doesn’t add anything substantial to the story — it was already clear as day that she missed her husband dearly — and it jumps ahead of the events described in the closing тιтle cards. When I’m Still Here rolls its end credits, it explains how Eunice got her law degree and fought for indigenous rights, but that’s a mᴀssive leap backwards from the scene the film ended on.