Prismark10 Central Station is a road movie set in Rio where it is a dog eat dog society if you are poor. Dora a retired teacher works in a train station concourse where she writes letters for illiterates and usually does not post them even though she has been paid for this service.Josue is a young boy who has been orphaned since his mother was hit by a bus. He is a wise kid sensing Dora was scamming her mother who paid her to write letters to his father far away.Dora reluctantly takes him in but she has no altruistic reasons for this. She sells him to an adoption agency and uses the money to buy herself a new television set. Her friend tells her that the kids are not adopted, their organs are used for transplants.Maybe it is guilt, she takes him back and they go looking for his father with the little money they have. Dora is still reluctant, along the way she tries to leave him once more but something inside her makes her stick with him.They get to Josue's father's town but things get more complicated which includes meeting half siblings. The film is more about Dora, a selfish woman wrapped up in her world, trying to get by whilst making a buck. The journey stirs her own memories with her father. She realises at the end that Josue needs to be with his family and uses her writing skills to good effect this time.

pedrocogoy I approached this film thinking it would put me to sleep within 30 minutes or less. I already had "U571" in the back burner, just in case. I expected "Central Station" to be too touchy-feely. Either that or too graphically realistic about things I already hear and see everyday here in Rio. Normally I get my entertainment from Hollywood blockbusters like "Avengers" - which takes me far away from reality - or comedies like "A Million Ways to Die in the West", so I really went against my cinematic instincts on this one. I was pleasantly surprised to be proved wrong and prejudiced about "Central do Brasil" (Central Station). The film kept me very riveted to my couch, eyes wide open, wanting to see what was going to happen at every turn. The narrative begins with some very impacting scenes and situations and then turns into a heartwarming, involving and captivating story. You really get in touch with the characters and their afflictions. Great movie. You won't be disappointed.

Atreyu_II 'Central do Brasil' is exemplary when it comes to simple film-making. It doesn't try to be something it isn't, always remaining pure on its simplicity. It follows a "less is more" philosophy, which means that the simplest things can be good.This Brazilian piece of cinema is almost a road movie, although it does a good job in two different things: taking us to the streets of Brazil and to places outside of the town. I'm not Brazilian, but I'm sure this movie makes Brazilians proud... provided they like it, of course.This motion-picture tells the story of Dora (a grumpy and apathic middle-aged/old woman), an ex-school teacher who writes letters for illiterate costumers as a job and Josué, a poor boy who just lost his mother tragically and son of a father he never met. This lady and this boy, so different in personalities and ages, have a troubled relationship at first and during much of the movie. They have a really hard time to get along. But later they do and well. And yet, just when things are getting fine for them, circumstances force them to separate from each other, although they find ways to remember each other. In real life, the boy developed a great friendship with Fernanda Montenegro and to this day they're still close and in touch.Fernanda Montenegro and Vinícius de Oliveira do their roles well.

gradyharp Walter Salles' gleamingly beautiful film CENTRAL STATION is one of those films that most people who appreciate the art of cinema will place in their personal library. Not only is the story raw and touching but it is graced by the magnificence of actress Fernanda Montenegro who continues to be Brazil's finest actress both on stage and on film. The story is a bit disturbing at first: Doña Dora is an elderly educated woman, with a history of turning to grifting for life support, sit in the Central Station and makes her money by writing letters dictated to her by the illiterate people who line up for her services - but Doña Dora often trashes the letters after collecting her fee. Into her life enters Josue (Vinicius de Oliveira), a young kid who witnessed the death of his other and is searching for his father. Josue is world wise and sees Doña Dora for what she is - a con artist. But the old lade takes Josue home on the superficial disguise that she will help him only to later sell him to the illegal adoption racketeers for money. After being paid for her sale, her friend Irene (Marilia Pera) informs her of what likely will be Josue's fate and knowing that she cannot right her wrong without returning the trafficker's fee, she escapes her home, taking Josue on the road to find his father. The 'road trip' results in a mutual respect and love between the two - Doña Dora softens, having made a kind change in her life, and Josue gains the feeling of love for the mother he has lost. Walter Salles understands emotion, when to allow the tragedies to emerge and subside and also how to credibly introduce the change of philosophy of his actors. The cinematography by Walter Carvalho captures both the claustrophobia of Rio de Janeiro as well as the desolation of the raw uninhabited lands outside the city where the strange couple go. But the real reason for the success of this film is the multifaceted sensitive portrayal of Doña Dora by Fernanda Montenegro - a performance that has and will continue to make film history. Grady Harp