Overall Score
Rating Summary
Central Station features a classic story: a lonely woman, who lost her faith in humanity and became a bitter person, warms up to a child in need, one that opens up her heart and teaches her that hope is still possible. Isadora (Montenegro) is a retired schoolteacher who works at Rio de Janeiro’s Central Station writing letters to illiterate people. And this woman is not a nice one: after her day is over, she carries the hopeful letters she was paid to write back home, but she only chooses a few of them to be posted; the rest is going to be throw out without a second thought.
One day, a woman named Josué comes by with her child (de Oliveira) and asks Isadora to write a letter to her husband. Soon after, the woman is hit by a bus and dies, and the boy, Josué, becomes an orphan. In a moment of empathy, Isadora brings the boy home, only to sell him to people who pretend to help children find adopting parents in Europe but actually kill the kids for their organs. Confronted by her best friend Irene (Pêra), Isadora has a change of heart and rescues Josué, but she cannot go back home. She buys them two tickets and takes Josué back to him father’s home, crossing Brazil on the bus. During the trip, they finally open up to each other and Isadora finally finds herself loving and caring for another human being.
Central Station is a very simple film: two people have to get from point A to point B. But the journey is so extraordinary that it’s impossible not to be moved by its simplicity. Focusing on two protagonists, we are able to discover new sides of their personality with each new scene. Isadora was hardened by life, and she is not a good person; but she’s also not a monster, even when she makes hasty decisions. She has a conscience, and that’s why she throws her life away to save Josué. Every day she gets to share with him she warms up more, and this isn’t something that is said during the film. You see her changing from dark to sunny in from of our eyes, but she never seems like a different person. She is the same Isadora, but a more hopeful one.
Isadora is a great character because she touches on great subject: how neglection can poison our lives. Both Isadora and Irene are spinsters, but Irene never faded away. It is not wrong to say that Isadora might be suffering from a long-term depression in the beginning of the film, one that has lingered for years and years, viciously destroying her soul piece by piece. Josué comes to give her a reason to fight, and that’s what we see her doing in the end.
It’s impossible to watch Central Station without crying profusely. Salles creates so many beautiful moments that will surely bring out tears without forcing them. The beauty of the film is that it allows us to connect with these characters and care for them. So when they are finally comfortable with each other, when we see them learning and caring for each other, it’s just so impossible to resist. The final part of the story brings Josué more to forefront, when they get the wrong addresses, and we see how much he really needs a family, and when he finally meets his brothers. Watching Josué so openly desire to be part of that family, when he realizes he will have love, and a home, and support there, it’s just crushing, especially when we understand Isadora won’t be around anymore when that happens. The script plays it perfectly, taking its time to reveal the truth, making us crave for that revelation to happen. We too, know that Josué is not alone anymore.
De Oliveira is fantastic as Josué, but Montenegro dominates the screen, and she is magnetic to watch as Isadora. Her performance is such a masterpiece of acting that many will find themselves solely focused on the complexities she brought to Isadora. Her body language completely changes when she opens up to Josué (and to life again, why not?) even her laughter is different during the course of the film. It’s not flashy work at all, it’s just part of her wonderful creation, it’s all in her subtleties, in her expressions, in her eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and Montenegro lets us in completely. There’s a reason why she is considered the best living Brazilian actress and a national treasure, and Central Station is perhaps the best examples of this
Meanwhile, the supporting cast is also terrific: Osmar Prado gives so beautiful little details to his truck driver, Matheus Nachtergaele warmth is so palpable as IsaÃas, we instantly want to jump in the screen and tell him Josué is his brother and Caio Junqueira is also wonderful as the other brother Moisés. But Central Station has another uniqueness to it: a chance to watch Montenegro play against Pêra, another treasured Brazilian actress, and seeing them play together is just a huge pleasure.
When the end comes, it’s impossible to see Isadora’s final narration, when she asks Josué not to forget about her, without losing it completely. Last but certainly not least, the killer score by Antonio Pinto! Just beautiful.
*still courtesy of IMDb*
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