Central Station (Central do Brasil) (1998)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jan Marc M

  
  Central Station is of a tale of sorrow that brought two strangers together to embark on an uncertain journey. Sophisticated cinematography and lush musical score. Metaphor-rich, heavy, moving, and very powerful that is surely to deliver a pinch in the heart.

• Stella D

  
  certainly it's a story we've seen before: cranky person saddled with kid learns compassion and reconnects with humanity. what keeps the viewer engaged is the wonderful performance of fernanda montenegro, always pulling it back from the brink of sentimentality, and the… More
  certainly it's a story we've seen before: cranky person saddled with kid learns compassion and reconnects with humanity. what keeps the viewer engaged is the wonderful performance of fernanda montenegro, always pulling it back from the brink of sentimentality, and the lovingly photographed brazilian countryside

• Anthony L

  
  Beautiful film about a young boy looking for his father and the woman who helps him. Brilliantly acted by Fernanda Montenegro & Vinìcius de Oliveira and beautifully shot by Salles. I cried a little bit at the end!

• Randy T

  
  I don't remember who recommended this movie to me but, whoever you are, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. :)

• El Hombre I

  
  The film is darker than standard road trip fare. Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) is a mean, cynical and condescending individual. She writes letters for illiterate people full of hope and dreams while she frequently mocks and discards letters soon after writing. She revels in the… More
  The film is darker than standard road trip fare. Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) is a mean, cynical and condescending individual. She writes letters for illiterate people full of hope and dreams while she frequently mocks and discards letters soon after writing. She revels in the misfortune of others and has no time for the young boy orphaned in front of her. Dora is so unlikable even director Walter Salles' camera doesn't want to get too close. This makes his use of close-ups of Montenegro more noticeable. The story is small yet strong in that the two main characters are insignificant in the hustle and bustle of the world and no one would notice if they fell off the face of the earth. The hustle of Central Station contrasts with scenes of the wide-open Brazilian countryside, dusty and beautiful. The ending is a wonderful scene that puts a lump in my throat. Watch this scene, and then ask yourself what the Academy was thinking when they gave her Oscar to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare In Love. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=centralstation.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/centralstation.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Sarah G

  
  A thorughly enjoyable film with some fine acting, enjoyable moments, beautiful scenery and great story. More to follow...

• Lanning :

  
  I wanted to love this movie; I did not. Not bad, with a story of human-bonding that should be perfect for the screen, but does not affect me the way I'd hoped it would. I will definitely give Fernanda Montenegro her due as far as acting in this one goes, but overall I felt… More
  I wanted to love this movie; I did not. Not bad, with a story of human-bonding that should be perfect for the screen, but does not affect me the way I'd hoped it would. I will definitely give Fernanda Montenegro her due as far as acting in this one goes, but overall I felt rather indifferent to the story as presented. Her character was definitely the most interesting part of the script. If I'd had input, I'd have actually dropped the orphan aspect and focused on her growth as a writer for those who cannot express their own words, their thoughts, and their feelings in print. For the English teacher still somewhere inside of me, that way much fascination lies.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Central Station" is about Dora(Fernanda Montenegro), a retired schoolteacher who works as a letter writer in the central train station of Rio de Janeiro to make ends meet. She transcribes and mails letters for illiterate people who come to her desk.… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Central Station" is about Dora(Fernanda Montenegro), a retired schoolteacher who works as a letter writer in the central train station of Rio de Janeiro to make ends meet. She transcribes and mails letters for illiterate people who come to her desk. In a scene that shows off how particularly loathsome she is, Dora is shown with a disapproving friend reading those same letters and occasionally either shelving them or simply throwing them out.(Does she mail any of them at all?) One of her customers, a repeat one in fact, is a young mother and nine year old boy, Josue(Vinicius De Oliveira). The mother wishes to reconcile with the boy's father; Dora has already judged the man as an alcoholic. The mother is hit and killed by a bus and the child is orphaned, leading Dora to perhaps commit the first unselfish and heroic acts of her life.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Central Station" is a mawkish sentimental manipulative piece of drivel that telegraphs most of its punches. A strictly neo-realist approach might have worked concerning the perils of orphans living in Rio de Janeiro. But the movie even backs away from that theme once it hits the road. And these are two characters who I could have cared less about. Did I mention that it also seemed sexist, too? Well, at least, the Brazilian countryside is photographed nicely.[/font]

• Daisy M

  
  Central Station was like a road trip movie between a woman and a child. It showed Dora's identity,which was similar to the atmosphere of Rio De Janeiro. Working as a letter writer at the Central Station, she was a cold heart person caring for her own well being. She hated her… More
  Central Station was like a road trip movie between a woman and a child. It showed Dora's identity,which was similar to the atmosphere of Rio De Janeiro. Working as a letter writer at the Central Station, she was a cold heart person caring for her own well being. She hated her customers and chose not to mail the letters she wrote for them. All changed when she met Josue, a 9 year old boy, whose mother died in a tragic accident, Dora took care of Josue, and went on a journey along the countryside to find his father. They passed through series of trials throughout the movie.The ending made it emotional, because I was expecting Dora and Josue to remain friends.The story, the tone the acting,everything meld together and created a fascinating and beautiful work in its simplicity.

• Ina S

  
  Great piece of cinema, extremely moving story.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings