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Central Station

Play trailer Poster for Central Station 1998 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Bitter former schoolteacher Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) supports herself by taking dictation from illiterate people in Rio de Janeiro who want to write letters to their families and then pocketing their money without ever mailing the envelopes. One day, Josue (Marília Pêra), the 9-year-old son of one of her clients, is left alone when his mother is killed in a bus accident. Reluctantly taking him in, Dora joins the boy on a road trip to find his long-missing father.

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Central Station

Central Station

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Critics Consensus

Director Salles transcends road-movie clichés and crafts a film that is as moving as it is universal.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian Aug 13
4/5
n ingenious, if glib, final twist gives the tale its solidity, though you can taste some processed sugar in the mix. Go to Full Review Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times 02/14/2001
4.5/5
As beautiful as it is wrenching. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
3/4
The movie's success rests largely on the shoulders of Fernanda Montenegro, an actress who successfully defeats any temptation to allow sentimentality to wreck her relationship with the child. Go to Full Review Aaron Homem PopMatters 01/27/2023
Central Station highlights the masses’ resilience while romanticizing their economic condition and environment. Go to Full Review Phoebe Flowers Miami Herald 01/05/2023
3.5/4
A masterpiece of sincere emotion. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 08/09/2010
B+
What separates and elevates Walter Salles' film above the familiar neo-realist type of melodrama is the stylized visual style and Fernanda Montengero's stunning performance. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Fernando D @Maqroll Dec 2 Great. Very sensitive a real posibility in live See more Miguel M Nov 21 Never had I felt some many emotions while watching a film. Masterpiece! See more Martha R Nov 19 This is an excellent movie to have a conversation on. It allows us multiple layers of engagement with the world and every scene is rich with symbolisms. I haven't watched any other movie that after so many years I still enjoy reflecting on and talking about. I also have not read any review of the movie that I felt tried hard enough to cover its diverse lines of reasoning. See more Jim N Oct 22 Rio de Janeiro: From the outset we are touched by the humanity in the faces and voices of the characters: every face has a story, every performance is mature, heartfelt, subtle. A warmly lit and compassionately acted, scenes are focused with a visual painterly eye. See more Artur A @arturalcantara Aug 10 Ainda tentando assimilar as coisas. Esse filme é perfeito. Fernanda, como sempre, GRANDONA. Os personagens são maravilhosos, a direção, fotografia… não estou bem com o final desse filme e nunca vou superar o final dele, NUNCA. See more Bryan A Jul 27 Este filme foi uma obra de arte. A atuação da atriz principal foi de primeira, a química entre ela e o garoto foi incrível. O final me quebrou, pois nunca consegui ver o final feliz que queria, mas acho que é isso que torna o filme tão especial, pois mostra que nem sempre há um final feliz na vida. Ótimo filme, realmente deprimente. See more Read all reviews
Central Station

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Cast & Crew

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Walter Salles

Director

Fernanda Montenegro

Dora

Vinícius de Oliveira

Josué

Marília Pêra

Irene

Soia Lira

Ana

Othon Bastos

Cesar

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Central Station

Central Station (1998) Central Station (1998) Central Station (1998) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Bitter former schoolteacher Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) supports herself by taking dictation from illiterate people in Rio de Janeiro who want to write letters to their families and then pocketing their money without ever mailing the envelopes. One day, Josue (Marília Pêra), the 9-year-old son of one of her clients, is left alone when his mother is killed in a bus accident. Reluctantly taking him in, Dora joins the boy on a road trip to find his long-missing father.
Director
Walter Salles
Producer
Walter Salles, Martine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Robert Redford, Arthur Cohn
Screenwriter
Walter Salles, Marcos Bernstein, João Emanuel Carneiro
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Europa Filmes, Buena Vista International, Canal+, VideoFilmes, MACT Productions, RioFilme
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 20, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.2M
Runtime
1h 50m
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