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Review

Heartrending without being maudlin, Central Station is a poignant, accomplished drama featuring an outstanding performance from Brazil's grand dame of theatre, Montenegro. At the Rio De Janeiro central train station, Dora (Montenegro), a retired schoolteacher, writes and posts letters for the illiterate to "make ends meet." Often they end up in her bureau at home, or the trash can. When a woman is killed in a bus accident, Dora begins an odyssey of self-awakening when she reluctantly escorts the deceased woman's nine-year-old son Josué (de Oliveira) to his long-lost father hundreds of miles cross-country. Montenegro has made Dora a fascinating character: complex, contradictory, and ultimately sympathetic. This is a portrayal that is intense and nuanced; and Montenegro can say more with her eyes than a page of dialogue. Young de Oliveira is a heartbreaker as Josué; he's adorable without the precociousness. A beguiling and touching journey, the Oscar nominated (Best Foreign Film, Best Actress) Central Station is rich in emotion and honesty, and marvelously done. (Portuguese with English subtitles)