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Central Station

Play trailer Poster for Central Station 1998 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Bitter former schoolteacher Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) supports herself by taking dictation from illiterate people in Rio de Janeiro who want to write letters to their families and then pocketing their money without ever mailing the envelopes. One day, Josue (Marília Pêra), the 9-year-old son of one of her clients, is left alone when his mother is killed in a bus accident. Reluctantly taking him in, Dora joins the boy on a road trip to find his long-missing father.

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Central Station

Central Station

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Critics Consensus

Director Salles transcends road-movie clichés and crafts a film that is as moving as it is universal.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian Aug 13, 2025
4/5
n ingenious, if glib, final twist gives the tale its solidity, though you can taste some processed sugar in the mix. Go to Full Review Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times Feb 14, 2001
4.5/5
As beautiful as it is wrenching. Go to Full Review Peter Brunette Film.com Jan 1, 2000
its blatantly manipulative pairing of an adorable young boy and a selfish, honesty-challenged older woman ... so calculating that I could never get emotionally involved. Go to Full Review Aaron Homem PopMatters Jan 27, 2023
Central Station highlights the masses’ resilience while romanticizing their economic condition and environment. Go to Full Review Phoebe Flowers Miami Herald Jan 5, 2023
3.5/4
A masterpiece of sincere emotion. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Aug 9, 2010
B+
What separates and elevates Walter Salles' film above the familiar neo-realist type of melodrama is the stylized visual style and Fernanda Montengero's stunning performance. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Arthur M @Arthur-Maximus Jun 23, 2026 Incredibly rich & emotional film about a bitter old lady and a cynical kid in search of his father. Fernanda is powerful and gives it her all, how Gwenyth Paltrow won the Oscar, I'll never know. The film really touched me and is now a must watch part of world Cinema. See more Kessia D @kedan206 Feb 11, 2026 A spectacular film starring the great Fernanda Montenegro. See more Ton T @Tonnn Feb 1, 2026 Com Fernanda Montenegro tudo fica mais impecável! See more Fernando D @Maqroll Dec 2, 2025 Great. Very sensitive a real posibility in live See more Miguel M @RT38175281 Nov 21, 2025 Never had I felt some many emotions while watching a film. Masterpiece! See more Martha R @RT14197970 Nov 19, 2025 This is an excellent movie to have a conversation on. It allows us multiple layers of engagement with the world and every scene is rich with symbolisms. I haven't watched any other movie that after so many years I still enjoy reflecting on and talking about. I also have not read any review of the movie that I felt tried hard enough to cover its diverse lines of reasoning. See more Read all reviews
Central Station

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Cast & Crew

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Walter Salles

Director

Fernanda Montenegro

Dora

Vinícius de Oliveira

Josué

Marília Pêra

Irene

Soia Lira

Ana

Othon Bastos

Cesar

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Central Station

Central Station (1998) Central Station (1998) Central Station (1998) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Bitter former schoolteacher Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) supports herself by taking dictation from illiterate people in Rio de Janeiro who want to write letters to their families and then pocketing their money without ever mailing the envelopes. One day, Josue (Marília Pêra), the 9-year-old son of one of her clients, is left alone when his mother is killed in a bus accident. Reluctantly taking him in, Dora joins the boy on a road trip to find his long-missing father.
Director
Walter Salles
Producer
Walter Salles, Martine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Robert Redford, Arthur Cohn
Screenwriter
Walter Salles, Marcos Bernstein, João Emanuel Carneiro
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Europa Filmes, Buena Vista International, Canal+, VideoFilmes, MACT Productions, RioFilme
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 20, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.2M
Runtime
1h 50m
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