Central Station

My Rating: 83/100
IMDb Rating: 8/10
Metascore: 80/100

Today in a film class I take, the film required to watch was a rather smart Brazilian film called 'Central Station' which released in 1998 and marked the beginning for a new wave of Brazilian cinema. The story follows a struggling woman who charges $2 to write a letter and her journey with a would-be orphan. They search for the boy's father, his only living relation, and venture through the deepest pits of Brazil on the way.

Originally, the film struck me as similar to Slumdog Millionaire, which I did thoroughly enjoy but hoped I wasn't viewing a replica... I was incorrect. Central Station turned out to be enjoyable, humorous, and was indeed smartly written. The protagonist 'Dora', a retired schoolteacher, apparently lives a secluded and self-centered life, not wanting to be concerned with the goings-on of those around her, calling customers trash, writing letters for them and eventually mailing them... however the simple manor of her life changes when the mother of a 9 year old boy (Josue) is run over by a bus, the responsibility of caring for the boy is thrust upon Dora, who wants nothing to do with this. She even attempts to put the boy up for adoption but is talked out of it after her neighbor explains the boy will be killed and his organs sold due to his age, considered to be "too old" for adoption. Comedically, Dora winds up stuck with Josue, and with no other option is forced to travel with him to find his father, who lives somewhere in Northeast Brazil.

On the way, the conversations presented by almost every character are offered as subtle double-entendres; while they add dialogue to the story, they also add small allusions to life itself.  Once this small detail is picked up, a whole new world inside of the story presents itself, and as the audience we can be left to think about how this chaotic story relates to the events that happen to us all.

Central Station is not available on Netflix, however it is a very widely-known film and is not difficult to find.  The film is Brazilian, however there are English subtitles. Taking this into consideration, I highly recommend a watch, as it is personally one of the better foreign films, and films in general that I have seen!

Released 1998