A well-earned poignant tale—neorealism blended with a road-trip
journey movie through 1990’s Brazil
Rich landscapes—sand and floral colors – large murals and small
items like a lime green fan blade
Starts with a sad montage of illiterate people asking Fernanda
Montenegro to write letters for her—and she’s essentially Ebenezer Scrooge here
to begin with
Very nice alley shot—cars on both sides and columns paving the
way for the camera
The young boy cries 3-4 times—really tragic. Salles is able to
avoid some of the sentimentality with the hardness of Montenegro’s character
and her performance
Beautiful stain-glass at restaurant where the bus stops, shot
framed by colored combs hanging in the market
Doorway shot after finding out man isn’t his father
I’m glad we are on the same page here- I randomly saw this on google and I hadn’t heard about it so I decided to watch it since you Highly Recommended it. It’s such a vibrant, colorful, moving movie. This movie is so understated and underseen. The entire movie is available online for free. More people should watch it.
It’s a tale of a woman who writes letters for illiterate people for a living. It’s a tale of a woman and a child and how they become friends. It’s visually great and features some really strong scenes throughout. It features themes of loss, love, belonging, and friendship. It’s funny and at times and very emotional at times too. Also, the music is just brilliant. Some nice repetition(of pretty images/themes) throughout the movie. Nicely shows Brazil of the 1990s. Director Walter Salles transcends road-movie clichés and crafts a film that is as moving as it is universal. And that ending tho – ???. Just phenomenal?. Dora leaves Josue (even though she loves him) so he can stay with his brothers since they can provide a better life for him. It’s soo incredibly moving.
It’s the Ultimate Road Movie. It was great seeing how Dora and Josue bonded on the road trip, the struggles they faced, and how it brought them together.
This movie reminded me of Life, and Nothing More… by Kiarostami. What are some other road movies you admire?
I forgot to mention that the acting is absolutely incredible throughout. Vinicius de Oliviera is brilliant as Josue and Fernanda Montenegro (widely regarded by many as the best Brazillian actress) is superb too.
I’ll agree here that it adds a lot to the “road movie” genre. Though I think it is much more than that. As you’ve mentioned it is very beautiful and I’d say it avoids a lot of clichés. I don’t consider it exactly a road movie, though that is the premise. I think it is a little underappreciated, but I would have it as an HR as well. Montenegro is superb, and she fleshed out wonderfully a character that could otherwise come off as completely one note. The ending is a the most brilliant moment in the film and showcases very strong filmmaking.
Yup. I agree @Georg. I havent seen too many road movies but this one definitely felt different. Very ‘uncliched”.
You’re right about the ending. I also thought it was the best scene in the movie though the movie is riddled with brilliant scenes throughout.
@Azman – definitely. The moment when Montenegro wears lipstick looking at the mirror is incredible. Or the one when she starts searching for the child (don’t remember his name unfortunately) in the crowd. I wouldn’t say that it blew me away as a film but it is a remarkable and strong picture. Especially if you factor in the fact that 1998 is not a particularly strong year (well yes the Thine Red Line, yes the Big Lebowski, yes Saving Private Ryan and yes Rushmore, but still). I really enjoyed the movie, quite touching.
It’s been 3 days removed since my last viewing of Central Station and the movie has really stuck with me. @Drake, feel free to take my comment down if you find it repetitive or annoying but I would really like to share my thoughts in greater detail than I had done before. All readers of the blog can also share your thoughts on the movie or if you’ve seen it or not.
CENTRAL STATION (1998)
One of the best movies I have seen in a long time and one of the only movies (really only 5-6 maybe) to move me to tears.
What Makes This Film So Powerful:
(I couldn’t find 10 points completely so I added some lesser important reasons that add to the movie’s charm):
1) The Acting: A greatly acted film by the young Josue but the star of the movie and the best performance is by Fernanda Montenegro (Dora). Her performance is quite astonishing really.
2) The small little details in the movie especially the costume design/makeup(Dora looking old etc) is often great
3) The journey: The journey through Brazil with Josue and Dora is quite nice to watch. We see how the 2 protaganists begin to like each other after initially disliking each other. Incredible. Big change in the way the main characters treat each other. They ‘evolve’
Their journey is filled with nice new places captured with beautiful cinematography.
4) The Characters: Dora is a complex character. A bitter and poor schoolteacher who(as the movie progresses) finds happiness in helping a child reach his family. Nice ‘arc’
5) The Score: Its sweeping, emotional and simple. The music is triggered right when the characters are moving in a train/bus/truck. Nice repitition.
6) A bunch of incredible scenes throughout the movie: The opening with the characters’ narrating their letters, the scene where Josue’s mother dies, the scene when Dora brings Josue to the adoption center and then brings him back, the pilgrimage scene followed by Dora with her head on Josue’s shoulder. The lipstick scenes(nice repition, this scene happens often), scene with handkerchief, the tracking shots where the bus/train moves, the drunk scene, the scene where Josue makes Dora write letters again to earn her money, the ending and many more great scenes that I may have missed. This movie is riddled with funny and mostly emotional scenes.
7)The Ending: The entire movie was building up to this scene. (“all things must build to a climax” – Kazan.) The ending references the journey of the main characters.That’s what made me cry.The edits between Dora’s crying face and Josue’s crying face, Josue running after the bus, the camera work with the sunset, the music, the narration – just wow.
8) The colors/cinematography: It beautifully shows Brazil of the 1990s. Incredibly colorful and vibrant photography.
9) It’s a phenomenal neo-realist road movie with phenomenal poignancy. Shares some similarities to Kiarostami’s Life, and Nothing More…(1992). Central Station avoids many road movie cliches.
10) The well-earned emotion: This movie is a great art movie. The emotion is extremely well-earned and quite moving.
Conclusion: A well-acted, uncliched, emotional neo-realist road trip through Brazil. Central Station has some great scenes, it’s filled with great images and a great soundtrack. It also has complex characters and shows a great friendship between an old woman and a young child. A special emotional journey that you shall remember for quite some time…
I’m glad we are on the same page here- I randomly saw this on google and I hadn’t heard about it so I decided to watch it since you Highly Recommended it. It’s such a vibrant, colorful, moving movie. This movie is so understated and underseen. The entire movie is available online for free. More people should watch it.
It’s a tale of a woman who writes letters for illiterate people for a living. It’s a tale of a woman and a child and how they become friends. It’s visually great and features some really strong scenes throughout. It features themes of loss, love, belonging, and friendship. It’s funny and at times and very emotional at times too. Also, the music is just brilliant. Some nice repetition(of pretty images/themes) throughout the movie. Nicely shows Brazil of the 1990s. Director Walter Salles transcends road-movie clichés and crafts a film that is as moving as it is universal. And that ending tho – ???. Just phenomenal?. Dora leaves Josue (even though she loves him) so he can stay with his brothers since they can provide a better life for him. It’s soo incredibly moving.
It’s the Ultimate Road Movie. It was great seeing how Dora and Josue bonded on the road trip, the struggles they faced, and how it brought them together.
This movie reminded me of Life, and Nothing More… by Kiarostami. What are some other road movies you admire?
I forgot to mention that the acting is absolutely incredible throughout. Vinicius de Oliviera is brilliant as Josue and Fernanda Montenegro (widely regarded by many as the best Brazillian actress) is superb too.
@Azman– appreciate you sharing your thoughts here. Thank you
I’ll agree here that it adds a lot to the “road movie” genre. Though I think it is much more than that. As you’ve mentioned it is very beautiful and I’d say it avoids a lot of clichés. I don’t consider it exactly a road movie, though that is the premise. I think it is a little underappreciated, but I would have it as an HR as well. Montenegro is superb, and she fleshed out wonderfully a character that could otherwise come off as completely one note. The ending is a the most brilliant moment in the film and showcases very strong filmmaking.
Yup. I agree @Georg. I havent seen too many road movies but this one definitely felt different. Very ‘uncliched”.
You’re right about the ending. I also thought it was the best scene in the movie though the movie is riddled with brilliant scenes throughout.
@Azman – definitely. The moment when Montenegro wears lipstick looking at the mirror is incredible. Or the one when she starts searching for the child (don’t remember his name unfortunately) in the crowd. I wouldn’t say that it blew me away as a film but it is a remarkable and strong picture. Especially if you factor in the fact that 1998 is not a particularly strong year (well yes the Thine Red Line, yes the Big Lebowski, yes Saving Private Ryan and yes Rushmore, but still). I really enjoyed the movie, quite touching.
It’s been 3 days removed since my last viewing of Central Station and the movie has really stuck with me. @Drake, feel free to take my comment down if you find it repetitive or annoying but I would really like to share my thoughts in greater detail than I had done before. All readers of the blog can also share your thoughts on the movie or if you’ve seen it or not.
CENTRAL STATION (1998)
One of the best movies I have seen in a long time and one of the only movies (really only 5-6 maybe) to move me to tears.
What Makes This Film So Powerful:
(I couldn’t find 10 points completely so I added some lesser important reasons that add to the movie’s charm):
1) The Acting: A greatly acted film by the young Josue but the star of the movie and the best performance is by Fernanda Montenegro (Dora). Her performance is quite astonishing really.
2) The small little details in the movie especially the costume design/makeup(Dora looking old etc) is often great
3) The journey: The journey through Brazil with Josue and Dora is quite nice to watch. We see how the 2 protaganists begin to like each other after initially disliking each other. Incredible. Big change in the way the main characters treat each other. They ‘evolve’
Their journey is filled with nice new places captured with beautiful cinematography.
4) The Characters: Dora is a complex character. A bitter and poor schoolteacher who(as the movie progresses) finds happiness in helping a child reach his family. Nice ‘arc’
5) The Score: Its sweeping, emotional and simple. The music is triggered right when the characters are moving in a train/bus/truck. Nice repitition.
6) A bunch of incredible scenes throughout the movie: The opening with the characters’ narrating their letters, the scene where Josue’s mother dies, the scene when Dora brings Josue to the adoption center and then brings him back, the pilgrimage scene followed by Dora with her head on Josue’s shoulder. The lipstick scenes(nice repition, this scene happens often), scene with handkerchief, the tracking shots where the bus/train moves, the drunk scene, the scene where Josue makes Dora write letters again to earn her money, the ending and many more great scenes that I may have missed. This movie is riddled with funny and mostly emotional scenes.
7)The Ending: The entire movie was building up to this scene. (“all things must build to a climax” – Kazan.) The ending references the journey of the main characters.That’s what made me cry.The edits between Dora’s crying face and Josue’s crying face, Josue running after the bus, the camera work with the sunset, the music, the narration – just wow.
8) The colors/cinematography: It beautifully shows Brazil of the 1990s. Incredibly colorful and vibrant photography.
9) It’s a phenomenal neo-realist road movie with phenomenal poignancy. Shares some similarities to Kiarostami’s Life, and Nothing More…(1992). Central Station avoids many road movie cliches.
10) The well-earned emotion: This movie is a great art movie. The emotion is extremely well-earned and quite moving.
Conclusion: A well-acted, uncliched, emotional neo-realist road trip through Brazil. Central Station has some great scenes, it’s filled with great images and a great soundtrack. It also has complex characters and shows a great friendship between an old woman and a young child. A special emotional journey that you shall remember for quite some time…
@Azman- I’d never take this down- this is a great share. Thank you- adds so much to the page here.
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