Central Station

Play trailer

Central Station

1998

1h 50m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

50 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.

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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

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

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Walter Salles

Director

Fernanda Montenegro

Dora

Vinícius de Oliveira

Josué

Marília Pêra

Irene

Soia Lira

Ana

Othon Bastos

Cesar

The Thief

88%

88%

The Thief

Watchlist

Chinese Box

67%

54%

Chinese Box

Watchlist

Lila Says

68%

76%

Lila Says

Watchlist

Rosetta

90%

83%

Rosetta

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Five Favorite Films

Forget "Dukes of Hazzard 2" — Is "Super Troopers 2" On Tap for Broken Lizard?

Box Office Preview: "World Trade Center" Arrives in Theaters

View more photos

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

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings