Central Station (1998)

When an elderly woman's conscience gets the best of her, she rescues a young boy who recently lost his mother and embarks on a journey to unite the boy with the father he never knew. One is given enough clues to understand that the effort will not end successfully in one respect, as the absent father's reputation seems to precede him as a drunkard and a louse. What one doesn't see coming is the fact that the man actually had another family, having married Josue's (Vinícius de Oliveira) mother after his first wife died. Not only did Josue not know his real father, he was not aware that he had two older step-brothers, one of which shared a similar disdain for his wayward parent. I was a little taken aback at how acerbic Josue was toward Mrs. Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) at first, calling her ugly for looking like a man and generally treating her with disrespect. It went both ways somewhat, but Dora's innate humanity eventually came forward to save a young soul who might otherwise have been cast to any manner of bad outcomes. As they grew to know one another a little better, you could feel the bond forming between them. If I had to guess, I would bet that Dora threw in that line in the letter she read from the missing father to Josue's mother, the one about desiring to live with her and his other sons, including Josue. The kid wasn't buying it, but for the viewer, I think it remains in the eye of the beholder.With all that went before, I thought the ending was somewhat abrupt, but then again, that's how life goes sometimes. Though it wasn't necessarily a 'happy ever after' conclusion, one comes away with a warm feeling that the young boy Josue would not be left to a heartless world as long as understanding individuals like Mrs. Dora were around.

Central Station has a great virtue - after you see it, it becomes a part from yourself. it sounds strange but it is more than a film. it is just an experience. simple, seductive, touching, realistic, discovering social isles, powerful feelings, inventing, in cruel honest manner, a world having the axis a not ordinary friendship. Fernanda Montenegro and Vinicius de Oliveira. this is all. a station and its letters, a meet and a long and special trip as start to define yourself. the film is one of the most impressive examples of the talent of Fernanda Montenegro.her Dora is far to be a model. but only a fascinating character who start as embroidery of expectations, frustrations, fear and need of comfort. more than a story, the film propose an admirable, useful parable. and a good support to reflect about every day experiences. at the first sigh.

This story happens in an impoverished area in Brazil. The buzzing, noisy central station is infatuated with people bustling for nothing but life necessities. To put it into more vulgar words, people's life is cheap. It can be seen in this film that a thief is shot dead by the vendor.It is this exact reason that makes this film even moving than, say, if it happens in The United states. When one is living in indecent conditions, one should be given more credit if s/he offers to help others.Isadora is such a woman. She is not a good person in a strict sense. After retirement as a primary school teacher, she makes ends meet by deceit, i.e. helping illiterate people write and send letters but tears up those letters back home. By fate, she is connected with a boy named Josue. Josue's mother, one of Dora's client, is killed in a road accident.After several mental struggles with herself, Dora decides to help Josue find his father according to the letter. On the long way to the kid's father, Dora and Josue's relationship turns better and better and finally they become friends.Shortly after they find the location of Josue's father, it comes the time for them to part from each other. Dora writes a letter to Josue and in this letter Dora asks Josue not to forget her.I think Dora wants to be remembered as she devotes her love to Josue particularly she does not have a happy childhood memory. Her fundamental humanity is awakened during this journey. Yet this selfless help is not a pleasant experience for Dora as she sees how Josue's father and brothers love little Josue which for sure reminds her of those painful childhood memories. Despite all, the awakened humanity impulses her to leave Josue to where he can grow up with love and care. In a sense, she chooses Josue to help finish her unfinished childhood dream for a caring father and family. Loving someone but letting someone fly to better places is a huge sacrifice yet the highest rank of love.Thus, Dora does not want to be forgotten. I remember one line extremely clearly, 'When you grow up and drive the truck one day, do not forget that I am the first one who let you sit behind the wheels.'

This film is uncommonly powerful, with very dark tones but bursting with hope and love. The main character, a jaded and bitter letter writer working in Brazil's largest train station (Fernanda Montenegro), is suddenly burdened with a kid who eventually wins her over. But unlike the common feel-good comedies with the same setup, Central do Brasil takes the viewer on a sometimes hopeless, openly vulnerable, and powerfully emotional journey. You can really feel the connection between the boy and his new caretaker – you can feel all of her emotions, really, because her acting is just that spectacular. The acting, the camera work, the soundtrack, and the beautifully written story all come together to produce just an amazing movie, well worth watching, that may just jerk a tear from your eye.