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34 out of 35 people found the following review useful: Amazing movie, 31 March 2002 Author: lauloi from Northeast America
Central do Brasil has everything. You come expecting a story of a woman who takes care of a child in a harsh social milieu. You sit in disbelief as this woman shows herself to be a heartless opportunist, and as your expectations are being confounded, you begin to realize how this villainess came to be such a person. The boy she begins to help is also no innocent movie cherub, he has an endearing slyness and a will to survive despite the horrible tragedy he has experienced. Their road trip is an odyssey from bad to worse, and you begin to sympathize. The characters they meet and the landscape they traverse give us in the north a flavor of Brazil which I cannot confirm as being authentic. But they seem as complex and beautiful and full of contradiction as the Brazilian music that I love. And the final destination for the boy (you're on the edge of your seat hoping things will turn out right) is not a happily-ever-after, but seems to indicate a new direction for the character.If I sound overly sentimental (I'm sure I do) it's because very few films have moved me like this one. I watched it through three times and cried at the scene of Dora on the bus every time. The use of religious imagery, from the modern evangelicalism of the truck driver to the more unfamiliar scenes with the pictures of the saints (incredible camerawork here) added dimensions of complexity in a medium where Christianity is often treated either in a saccharine fashion or with heavyhanded disdain. See Central Station.
31 out of 37 people found the following review useful: The most extraordinary movie of 1998, 10 December 1998 Author: Caio from São Paulo, Brasil
This movie is special.It shows the real Brasil with a simple but beautiful and touching story about a little boy looking for the father he never knew and a woman looking for a second chance. The performers are brilliant! Fernanda Montenegro is extraordinary in the role of Dora.The chemistry between the main characters (Dora and Josué) is splendid. The film photography is wonderful, so as the instrumental soundtrack. Central do Brasil(Central Station) is one of the best movies I have ever seen.Be ready to weep and be happy!
27 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Sad and beautiful, 9 January 2004 Author: rbverhoef (rbverhoef@hotmail.com) from The Hague, Netherlands
'Central do Brasil' is basically a road movie about a boy Josué (Vinícius de Oliveira) who just lost his mother searching for his father. He does this with the help of Dora (Fernanda Montenegro). She writes letters for illiterate people in the central station of Rio de Janeiro. Dora has a secret, she doesn't mail the letters. She knows Josué because he and his mother used to write letters to Josué's father and when his mother dies she takes care of him, although she has other intentions at first.The movie is mainly about the relationship between the boy and the woman. Of course they meet people on the road. Especially the part where they travel with a truck driver is very good. We also see a little of the life in Brazil. This is a movie with a good story that is very well directed. The acting is terrific. Montenegra as the older woman and especially De Oliveira as the boy is very good.
25 out of 27 people found the following review useful: Very Moving Film, 28 July 2004 Author: shaolinstar21 from Melbourne, Australia
A wonderful film, that works on several layers. This is a film about a cynical woman who becomes a "mother" to a young boy who has just lost his mother. Through the course of this film, this woman, Dora, learns to love. The young boy, Josue, learns to live again. Each is so clearly delineated and so clearly defined that the film is a pleasure from beginning to end.Central Station actually beat "Life is Beautiful" at some of the world's top awards ceremonies for that year, and you can see why. Its acting is superb, and Walter Salles' direction is with a masterly touch. The cinematography, evoking that desaturated, golden world of Brazil is beautiful - it's a lesson in itself on how to make an apparently 'gritty' world very beautiful. Watch this film.
21 out of 22 people found the following review useful: On the road, 20 December 2005 Author: jotix100 from New York
This film, which we watched at the Vancouver Film Festival years ago, turned up the other night on cable. On second viewing, the film still packs quite an impact, as it still feels real. The work of Walter Salles and Fernanda Montenegro was amazing then, and still is now.This is the story about a cynic and jaded woman who resorts to do menial work and who is a small con artist herself. Dora has seen better days. She is retired now, but in order to make ends meet, she sets a letter writing desk at Rio's train station where she writes letters dictated to her by the illiterate and eager people who can't do the job as they want to communicate with distant family and friends through Dona Dora. In many cases, as it's the case with the letter she has written for Ana, she has no intention of ever sending those missives dictated to her by the unsuspecting people.Josue, the small boy, who witness the death of his mother, is wiser for his younger years than one might suspect. He sees right through Dora as a charlatan and a con woman. When Dora takes the boy home, she has no intentions of ever helping him much more than a few days. Later, upon learning about the adoption agency, she sells the boy to the unscrupulous people involved in the traffic of children for a thousand dollars without any problems. It's only when her friend Irene tells her the fate that Josue will encounter, that Dora leaps into action.Since she can't stay home without having to return her money, she takes Josue on the road. This odd couple begins the journey as complete strangers, but this voyage will make them appreciate one another and even move Dora into becoming a better woman for having the courage to do the right thing. Josue also realizes that Dora, in her own way, has been, for however short, the mother he lost in the tragic accident.Fernanda Montenegro, perhaps Brazil's best actress, is amazing as Dona Dora. She is the whole reason for seeing the movie. Her Dora is one of the best creations in her film career. This intense performer shows an actress who fully understand who Dora is and the way she would behave in the situation. Young Vinicius Oliveira is a sweet Josue, and Marilia Pera, is the kind Irene, who makes Dora see the monstrosity of what she was about to do.The music by Jacques Morelembaum and Antonio Pinto is an asset, as it adds an atmosphere to the long journey of Dora and Josue. The interesting cinematography by Walter Carvalho, shows the immensity of Brazil's interior as the odd couple go to find the little boy's father.This film is a triumph for both Walter Salles and Fernanda Montenegro.
13 out of 15 people found the following review useful: The Great Fernanda, 8 June 1999 Author: Boyo-2
I thought this movie was terrific, a little slow in parts, but I cared about the characters and was interested in their journey. I also liked the fact that the main character was not portrayed as a saint - Dora is a real person, flaws and all. Montenegro was robbed at the Oscars and so was the movie.
8 out of 9 people found the following review useful: They don't make them much better than this, 29 September 2003 Author: bouncingoffwall (bouncingoffwall@aol.com) from USA
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I saw this movie one night, and the next day found myself haunted by it, almost as if the main characters had become part of my life. In short, I couldn't shake it. Then I saw it again and remained intrigued by the writing, acting, and directing. Even the cinematography, which is not your usual fare, added much to the fullness of the story.The first half hour or so of this movie is somewhat disturbing to watch since people and their needs seem to be so expendable, but from that very stark reality -- which is so real it has been reported repeatedly by the media -- love has a chance to make at least this one story different.One of the most amazing things about this movie is how Vinicius de Oliveira was able to perform so well that he excellently complemented the acting of one of Brazil's top actresses. From shoe shine boy to a riveting performance in a major film. Good for him. I hope he makes his mark. And no less praise for Montenegro who was splendid in her interpretation of Dora, or for Marilia Pera for her very candid performance as Dora's neighbor.***SPOILER ALERT*** I think a miracle occurred when Dora fainted, and that she was never to be the same person after that.
10 out of 13 people found the following review useful: rehashed storyline creatively told, 8 November 2004 Author: Gregg Greene from Eugene, OR
In reality, there are a finite amount of interesting story lines to tell. What makes one movie telling the same storyline more worthwhile to see is a combination of creative expression, in depth character development, superb acting, exquisite photography, and believability, or the ability to persuade the moviegoer to suspend disbelief.How many times have we been exposed to a retelling of Shirley Temple's Heidi, where a young non-related child falls into the life of an old curmudgeon, and teaches that curmudgeon to enjoy life and/or develop morals and values? Too many times for me, so I was reluctant to see this film. It would have been a shame had I not.There are many creative twists and turns along the way to keep the suspense level up in this film. The photography in Rio is OK, but once out in the Brazilian countryside, it is fantastic. At the end of the film, there is little doubt but that the way this story turns out is how it would have had to turn out. The character development of Josue is a little weak, but that of Dora is superb. And you will see a lot of films before you will see an acting performance like Fernanda Montenegro's as Dora again.This movie thankfully is not overly sentimental, that would get in the way of the story, it is just a great film to watch and enjoy. 9 of 10.
10 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Great, 6 February 2004 Author: msultan from uiuc
Great movie, warm and bittersweet. It somehow reminded me ofMy Life as a Dog (1985) because it more or less deals with thesame issues, but we move from the Swedish North to the sunnyBrazilian South. Beautiful colors, great acting--Josue and Doramake a wonderful pair and they really foil each other out. Almoststarts dragging a little before the end, but it picks up again. I highlyrecommend.
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Central Station, 12 February 2006 Author: aled-6 from Canada
This woman (Dora) is a fraud and cheat. She charges poor illiterate people for letters to friends and relatives and yet never actually mails them. She is a poor retired teacher on a small pension and sees in this newly orphaned 10 year old boy Joshue no more than enough cash to buy a new television set. However when she realizes through a friend the awful consequences of what she has done, she rescues the child from a fate quite awful to contemplate and unable to return to her apartment to face retribution from the criminals she has angered, she goes together with Joshue in search of his Dad.The boy has never known his father and has an exaggerated idea of what and who he is. The child having just lost his mother & overcoming his initial very reasonable dislike for Dora grows to love her. Dora in turn during a series of adventures with this boy among the poorest of the poor in Brazil and perhaps because she has never had any children becomes fond of Joshue.I will not spoil the experience by telling you of the ending. However things turn out well for the boy in a surprising way and Dora leaves, her heart breaking. The bond established between these two is the point of the story and there is a bitter-sweet ending.A lovely movie.
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