Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- Fernanda MontenegroIsadora "Dora" Teixeira
- Vinícius de OliveiraJosué Fontenele de Paiva
- Marília PêraIrene
- Othon BastosCésar
- Otávio AugustoPedrão
- Matheus NachtergaeleIsaías Paiva
- Caio JunqueiraMoisés Paiva
- Stela FreitasYolanda
- Maria MenezesWaitress
- Sergio KatoDora's Client
Recommendations
- 100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Easily among the top 10 films made last year. - 91
Entertainment Weekly
A richly tender and moving experience. - 90
New Times (L.A.)
But in a calculated move that pays off handsomely, the picture's remarkable power is reserved for the end, when the intertwining themes coalesce in an extraordinarily satisfying and stirring way. - 90
Time
[Salles]'s imagery, like his storytelling, is clear, often unaffectedly lovely, and quietly, powerfully haunting. - 80
Variety
Montenegro carries the film su-perbly with her portrait of gritty strength being worn down to a state of tattered vulnerability, while newcomer de Oliveira, a shoeshine boy who won the role over 1,500 other aspirants, is engagingly natural and happily doesn't beg for viewer sympathy. - 80
The New York Times
There's plenty of room for sentimentality here, but the wonder of Salles' film is all in the telling. - 80
The A.V. Club
While the cinematography is gorgeous and the script extremely sharp, Central Station owes much of its strength to its two mismatched leads. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
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.
