An emotive journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.Critically, this film did really well, winning the Golden Globe for best foreign film and getting Oscar-nominated not just for a foreign film, but best actress as well. Sure, it did not win either Oscar, but that is still an impressive feat.According to Richard Schickel, the film is "an odyssey of simple problems, simple emotional discoveries, a relationship full of knots that Salles permits to unwind in an unforced, unsentimental fashion. His imagery, like his storytelling, is clear, often unaffectedly lovely, and quietly, powerfully haunting." Beautifully said, Richard. That is ultimately what makes great cinema: "an odyssey of simple problems".Director Walter Selles went on to make "Dark Water", "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "On the Road".

I had been familiar with director Walter Salles from a long forgotten affection his 2004 travelogue The Motorcycle Diaries, a film I adored the first time but have not felt myself drawn to since. However, i still remember it fondly, and the differences between its contemporary rugged style and the vintage and cinematic Central Station are striking. Albeit, there is still a journey involved, an emotionally and physically exhausting journey, this is just through a different lens. The centrepiece of Central Station is the remarkable performance from veteran Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro. She's compassionate yet judgmental, kind-hearted yet mean-spirited. It's a delicately dimensional character haunted by the demons of her early life bolstered by a forceful performance that surely deserved more attention than it did in 1998.Her support isn't quite as strong however, but her bonds with them certainly are. While the wayward route is probably the best choice to portray the small boy that she takes on to return to his father, he is inherently irritating for his rowdy behaviour. This makes her plight all the more sympathetic as we questions whether the sacrifices she made for such an agitator outweigh the good deed. It's got interesting themes on family, regarding roles and structures. It's wonderful to see a small accidental family form as they meet a generous man who helps them for a small portion of the way, but of whom swiftly abandons them without reason. It illustrates how painfully fleeting these relationships can be. It does feel distinctly anti-male due to these representations, but it is the point the film is trying to make about the emotional poverty it causes.The film is full of atmosphere with sweeping cinematography capturing the heat of Brazil and the density of its population while they weave in and out of frame. Even with the company, it's hard not to feel alone. However, some scenes do feel a little forced in the direction, breaking the spell of reality that some human moments have, such as overblown conflict between the two characters before their eventual kinship. It makes storytelling sense for them to go through it and the film is richly written in that regard, but it could've been handled better. It also suffers from a trite motif in the score that tries too hard to jerk tears but it's easily ignorable. Central Station is a heart warming and heart breaking film that's among the best Brazil has to offer, especially in its leading lady.8/10

it is amazing the ability of director Water Salles to play at the heartstrings with such painful eloquence; fluid in a sense that the ubiquitous issues explored within the context of the film "Central Do Brazil" or "Central Station" were secondary to the road trip of two lives intersecting at a train station; a place where people come and go on their own subjective way.to be honest I couldn't tell if Walter Salles view on religion were pro or con; even after the continues repetition of religious symbols. At first it appeared to be in the positive based on the premise that images of piousness, self-sacrifice, or charity were themes played throughout the film in association with religion. It appeared that Salles was making a connection that man is on a quest for enlightenment through the interconnectedness of different modes of transportation that bring humanity as one; be it a pilgrimage of Christians; or two unlikely partners on a bus, train or truck, in search of unanswered questions. The recurrent images seemed to try to make a link of these two examples.dora seemed to be the only heathen in this quest, which in retrospect seems to be Salles possible speaker for the truth. From spectator feelings of ambivalence to hatred, and coming full circle to being the hero of the story, we see acts of courage in Dora's transformation from the poster boy of everything ugly in Brazil, to the embodiment of true altruism. She is the "clarity" in a convoluted Brazil - or humanity - who is left on its own without the so-called benefits and safety of civil society or an absolute dogma.in Central Station, we are like flocks of migrating birds together for safety from an indeterminate existence; in search of intangibles be it love, god, or an answer for mass suffering. It is not mans fault that he is drawn to mysticism to heal the wounds of poverty but it is the fault of society and the unequal distribution of wealth that leaves the majority scraping for leftovers.

If I heard I was going to watch a movie about a little boy whose mother dies outside a crowded train station and a retired teacher who helps him find the father he never met, I would imagine I would be watching a sweet story unfold about a sad and lonely boy who is comforted and cared for by a loving and kind hearted woman who takes him under her wing in a motherly and heart-warming way. "Central Station" is not a feel-good movie. The retired teacher, Isadora, is neither warm nor motherly and the boy, Josué, is neither receptive or desiring of her help. However, Isadora and Josué still embark on the seemingly hopeless journey in search of a father who may or may not be alive or around. The movie is by no means predictable, as demonstrated in the way that the characters do not personify those which audiences would expect to see in Hollywood movies dealing with similar plots. It is intriguing and captivating to watch how a stubborn and cold Isadora finds herself best friends with an equally stubborn and cold Josué. Rather than their similarities creating a bond, they constantly drive each other away from the other, but in the end they find themselves forever changed by the remarkable friendship that formed between them. The genius of the movie rests in Salles' success in telling a story that is captivating and unpredictable. He is creative and unconventional and the product that results is phenomenal.