Central Station (1998) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Fernanda Montenegro and Vinicius De Oliveira
Dora is a cynical, unhappy spinster.
A former teacher, she now earns her living writing letters for those who cannot write.
She works at a table at Rio de Janeiro's Central Station, where she judges those for whom she writes.
Sometimes she mails their letters, other times she merely tears them up and throws them away.
Dora has a disdain for people and is not above taking advantage of them.
But all this changes for Dora when through circumstances she is forced to be responsible for Josue, a young boy whose mother is killed in the street in front of the station.
This is the simple set up for Central Station, a heart-tugging story from Brazil.
Dora (Academy Award-nominee Fernanda Montenegro) at first is reluctant to befriend Josue (Vinicius De Oliveira).
She even tries to profit from his misfortune by selling him to a sleazy "adoption agency," but relents and instead determines to take the child to his father in the remote northeast section of Brazil.
Central Station is more of a character study than a plot-driven movie. It derives its impetus from the growing relationship between its two characters as they travel by bus and trucks to reach their frontier destination.
And even though you have some sense where the film is headed, the journey remains a pleasant one.
For Central Station totally involves you in its characters.
Montenegro's performance is masterful. She takes what could have been a cliched character and gives her life and depth. She shows the conflict within this woman who cannot even explain to herself why she is slowly becoming a surrogate mother for a young boy whom she at first detested.
The growing love between the woman and the child develops slowly through argument, tears and humor.
As Josue, young De Oliveira is a natural, seemingly unaffected by the camera.
What truly makes Central Station a memorable experience is its heart. It proves that there is goodness in even the most displaced and lost among us, even if they themselves do not know it is there.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net.
cb
Carol Bloom of Bloom Ink Publishing Professionals 3312 Indian Rock Lane West Lafayette, IN 47906-1203 765-497-9320 fax 765-497-3112 cbloom@iquest.net
Committed to Lifelong Learning through Effective Communication
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