Central Station

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Central Station

1998

1h 50m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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.

Critics Consensus

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

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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.

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Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

02/14/2001

4.5/5

As beautiful as it is wrenching.

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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.

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Aaron Homem

PopMatters

01/27/2023

Central Station highlights the masses’ resilience while romanticizing their economic condition and environment.

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Phoebe Flowers

Miami Herald

01/05/2023

3.5/4

A masterpiece of sincere emotion.

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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.

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Kessia D

@kedan206 Feb 11

A spectacular film starring the great Fernanda Montenegro.

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Ton T

@Tonnn Feb 1

Com Fernanda Montenegro tudo fica mais impecável!

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Fernando D

@Maqroll Dec 2

Great. Very sensitive a real posibility in live

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Miguel M

@RT38175281 Nov 21

Never had I felt some many emotions while watching a film. Masterpiece!

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Martha R

@RT14197970 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.

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Jim N

@RT88410809 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.

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Walter Salles

Director

Fernanda Montenegro

Dora

Vinícius de Oliveira

Josué

Marília Pêra

Irene

Soia Lira

Ana

Othon Bastos

Cesar

The Thief

88%

87%

The Thief

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67%

54%

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Lila Says

68%

76%

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Rosetta

90%

83%

Rosetta

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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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