Episode 516: I'm Still Here, The Seed of the Sacred Fig reviews

This might be the art-housiest Arthouse Tuesday we've ever done, as we catch up with two of the five films nominated for best international feature at this year's Oscars. The first, "I'm Still Here," is also up for the top prize of all, best picture, as well as best actress for Fernanda Torres' beautifully subtle performance. Torres stars in this true story as a wife and mother trying to hold her family together during Brazil's military dictatorship in the early 1970s. Veteran filmmaker Walter Salles directs. It's in theaters now. Then we catch up with "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" from Iranian writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof, who made the film entirely in secret. Rasoulof, who also won best director from the LA Film Critics Association, tells the story of a family that gets caught up in the political turmoil of the recent "Woman Life Freedom" uprising in Tehran. In theaters and streaming. We still have "Flow" to go, and then we'll have reviewed all five films in this category. Keep an eye (and ear) out for our Oscar predictions livestream on Feb. 25. Until then, thanks for listening! Subscribe to Christy's Saturday Matinee newsletter: https://christylemire.beehiiv.com/