Central Station (1998)

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.

Director:

Walter Salles

Writers:

Marcos Bernstein, João Emanuel Carneiro

Stars:

Fernanda Montenegro, Vinícius de Oliveira, Marília Pêra

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 43 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fernanda Montenegro	...	Isadora
Marília Pêra	...	Irene
Vinícius de Oliveira	...	Josué
Soia Lira	...	Ana
Othon Bastos	...	Cezar
Otávio Augusto	...	Pedrão
Stela Freitas	...	Yolanda
Matheus Nachtergaele	...	Isaías
Caio Junqueira	...	Moisés
Socorro Nobre	...	Dora's Client
Manoel Gomes	...	Dora's Client
Roberto Andrade	...	Dora's Client
Sheyla Kenia	...	Dora's Client
Malcon Soares	...	Dora's Client
Maria Fernandes	...	Dora's Client

Storyline

Dora, a dour old woman, works at a Rio de Janeiro central station, writing letters for customers and mailing them. She hates customers and calls them 'trash'. Josue is a 9-year-old boy who never met his father. His mother is sending letters to his father through Dora. When she dies in a car accident, Dora takes Josue and takes a trip with him to find his father.

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Plot Keywords:

country name in title | train station | retired | illiterate | boy | 

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Taglines:

He was looking for the father he never knew. She was looking for a second chance.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dora's new television, bought with the money she earned selling Josué, presents a popular Brazilian TV program called "Topa Tudo Por Dinheiro," which means "Do Anything For Money."

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Goofs

When Dora got off the bus leaving Josue behind, she entered a diner, and in the view of the wall off to the side there were three stacks of plastic red crates containing empty soda bottles. Following a quick cut away and return to the same view, there's only one stack of red crates, the others were replaced by two stacks of larger milk style crates of different colors.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dora's Client: [dictating a letter] My darling, My heart belongs to you. No matter what you've done, I still love you. I love you. While you're locked in there all those years, I'll be locked up out here, waiting for you.

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Connections

Referenced in O Outro Lado da Rua (2004)

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Soundtracks

É Deus Por Nós
Written by Fátima Leão, Alexandre Neto (Portuguese Lyrics).
English lyrics written by Sarah F. Adams (as Sarah Flower Adams)
Music Composed by Lowell Mason (1856)
Performed by Zezé di Camargo e Luciano Camargo

User Reviews

Great

Great movie, warm and bittersweet. It somehow reminded me of

My Life as a Dog (1985) because it more or less deals with the

same issues, but we move from the Swedish North to the sunny

Brazilian South. Beautiful colors, great acting--Josue and Dora

make a wonderful pair and they really foil each other out. Almost

starts dragging a little before the end, but it picks up again. I highly

recommend.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Brazil France

Language:

Portuguese German

Release Date:

20 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Central Station

Filming Locations:

Arcoverde, State of Pernambuco, Brazil

Box Office

Budget:

$2,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$35,708, 22 November 1998

Gross USA:

$5,969,553

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,971,073

Company Credits

Production Co:

Audiovisual Development Bureau, Ministerio da Cultura, BEI Comunicações, Bahiatursa

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1