Central Station (Central do Brasil) is a 1998 dramatic film from Brazil. This is one of my favorite movies, second only to Gone With the Wind. I never heard of this film before I rented it at the video store. It was an amazing discovery.
It is a story about a young boy (Josué) and his relationship with a stranger (Dora) after his mother is killed in an accident. After his mother is killed, he is left alone with no one to care for him. He stays at Rio de Janeiro's main railway station (Central Station).
Dora is a lonely, single, middle aged woman, a former school teacher who writes letters for illiterate people at Central Station. Just before she was killed, Josué's mother had paid Dora to write and send a letter to Josué's father.
Josué goes back to Dora after his mother's death to retrieve the letter so he can learn the whereabouts of his father. Dora is callous and unsympathetic. As her character evolves she begins to care about the boy, eventually assisting him in the search for his father.
The actress who plays Dora, Fernanda Montenegro, is absolutely phenomenal.
This movie is in Portuguese with English subtitles. Do not let the subtitles deter you from watching this, it is a fantastic movie. I am not crazy about subtitles myself, but I assure you it does not detract from the film.
The movie won many awards throughout the world, and was nominated for best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards (I can't believe it didn't win). Fernanda Montenegro was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The film did win at the Golden Globes and BAFTA Film Awards for best foreign language film.
It is hard for me to say what makes this film so wonderful. There is an intangible quality to it that is magical. The cinematography is amazing. The acting is fantastic. The story is so touching. I cried at the end of this movie like I have never cried before.
I am embedding the trailer for this film below, unfortunately I do not believe the trailer does justice to this film.
Video
