Fernanda Montenegro Brings Pathos and Humor to Walter Salles’ Moving Central Station

 

One of the richest character-driven films of the 1990s, director Walter Salles’ emotionally resonant Central Station finds great heart and drollness in relating the tale of Dora, a retired schoolteacher who supplements her income by translating letters at the title locale in Rio de Janeiro, whose life is impacted after a young boy, Josué, is left stranded in the station with Dora his only contact. The strong bond that develops as Dora attempts to return Josué to his wayward father via a series of misadventures on their lengthy eventful road trip is conveyed profoundly and beautifully by Salles (from a funny, deeply touching screenplay by Joao Emanuel Carneiro and Marcos Bernstein, from an idea by Salles), aided by terrific oftentimes sun draped on-location cinematography that lends neorealism to the story and a pitch-perfect score by Antonio Pinto and Jaques Morelenbaum that underlines the appropriate tone for each sequence, helping to adeptly blends the dramatic and comedic elements of the script. The first-rate cast, led by a legend of Brazilian cinema, Fernanda Montenegro, in a rich, towering performance, also invaluably evoke the correct sense of time and place integral to the scenario of this superior 1998 Brazilian-France co-production.

Salles has a gift for introducing the characters and key plot points with a sense of immediacy and truth, allowing moments from the film to come across with astounding force and stay with a viewer for years after seeing the film. For example, Salles shoots each scene with resourceful clarity, trusting his cast to hit the appropriate tone, focusing on the characters using frequent closes-ups and simply staged shots to capture each performer’s individuality, while allowing audiences direct access to the interpersonal relations, specifically Dora and Josué’s, as the interactions progress in compelling manner. Salles also has an eye for composing frames of visual splendor, even in the normally squalid surroundings (both in and outside of Rio), capturing the seedy Rio cityscape with a strange golden glow amid the poverty, and later craftily utilizing shadows to create a lovely aura during some nighttime sequences. Born in Rio de Janeiro and heir to the Itaû Unibanco fortune, Salles started his directorial career with 1991’s A Grande Arte before his rise to worldwide acclaim with Central Station. Post Station, Salles has maintained a steady output as a top writer/producer/director in Brazilian cinema, recently reaching perhaps a career high as director of 2024’s I’m Still Here, which brought universal hosannas to Salles, star Fernanda Torres (daughter of Fernanda Montenegro, who also has a brief but moving key role in Here), and the film, as well as major box-office success, with the fine, fact-based drama gaining (among many other awards) Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress (Torres, who also won a Golden Globe) and an Oscar win for Best International Feature, which Salles accepted onstage as the happy and proud recipient of this breakthrough award for Brazilian cinema.

                As the jaded, worldly-wise Dora, Fernanda Montenegro masterfully imbues the complex role with great dramatic force and comic gusto, while keeping Dora true and in-the-moment at every turn. Dora’s down-to-earth, tough nature, intelligence and sharp wit are consistently on view thanks to Montenegro’s alert, precise work, and in Dora she forms a sympathetic, fully-relatable point of identification for viewers, even when the insensitive Dora appears to lack moral fiber at the movie’s outset, with her questionable actions involving what she does or doesn’t do with those transcribed letters. How Dora evolves during the story is made profound and emotionally gripping by Montenegro’s artful, honest playing. She also displays expert comic timing, carefully blending some hilarious retorts (“Show some respect, I could be your mother” is a vivid high point) and reactions with the more serious moments, wherein Montenegro’s direct-but-delicate playing hits with unforgettable force, often with just a look or gesture, leading up to a deeply poignant finale. Although the meaty role is rife with possibilities to play up (or overplay) both serious and comic aspects of Dora’s indomitable character, Montenegro admirably uses subtle, spontaneous methods to bring Dora to life as a fully formed, independent and unique figure who proves it’s never too late to improve one’s moral outlook, and change from an anti-heroine to someone more noble. Born in 1929, Montenegro first achieved success in Brazilian theater, radio and television after starting her career in the late 1940s, before making her feature film debut in 1965, then alternating between films, t.v and the stage thereafter, becoming one of the most famous and admired Brazilian stars, until Central Station brought her singular talents to the attention of a global audience. Post her astounding success with Station, Montenegro has continued to shine on stage and screen, gaining the prestigious National Order of Merit from Brazil in 1999 and winning an International Emmy for her work in 2013’s Sweet Mother, then recently have a beautiful, triumphant reunion with Salles via I’m Still Here serve as a fitting grace note to a remarkable career.

Discovered in Rio by Salles, the untried Vinícius de Oliveira as Josué is an ideal partner for Montenegro, believably illustrating the youth’s stubbornness, pride, sensitivity and fear as he finds himself alone and vulnerable in the crime-infested metropolis, and Josué’s need to latch onto Dora for survival. As their friendship develops and the boy learns to trust Dora, Oliveira shows real affection for and chemistry with Montenegro, making this oddball couple one of the era’s most endearing, with audiences hoping for a positive outcome for both of the roaming outcasts. Oliveria also does a fine job demonstrating Josué’s growing confidence under Dora’s protective watch, leading to a key moment wherein he forcefully causes an important change in their fortunes, which demonstrates the growth in the dynamic between Dora and Josué, as well as the young boy’s maturity as he learns to get on and work against adversity in a tough world. Following this important start in films, Oliveira would build a solid list of screen credits, including a reunion with Salles for 2008’s Linda de Passe, while also strengthening his acting prowess by adding theater work to his resume.

In the prime supporting role of Irene, Dora’s next-door neighbor and best friend, the esteemed Marília Soares Pêra, also a veteran of Brazilian stage and screen, brings great warmth and humanity to the film. Irene serves as Dora’s moral conscience early in the film, and Pêra exudes positive energy and decency amid her bleak surroundings, showing compassion towards Josué during their meeting, and forthrightly calling Dora to task for her oftentimes harsh, selfish nature. Pêra presents such a likable persona as Irene a viewer welcomes each of her subsequent appearances later in the film, wherein she has primarily comic exchanges with Dora via several phone calls. Among the rest of the cast, Othon Bastos does intriguing work as the kind, shy trunk driver who helps Dora and Josué on the journey, while Matheus Nachtergaele and Caio Junqueira offer fine portraits of Isaìas and Moisés Paiva, two brothers of contrasting personalities (one jovial, one more somber and concerned), who meet and interact importantly with Dora and Josué in the movie’s revelatory final act.

With its relatable elements concerning friendship, hope and charity and sensitive, impactful direction and performances, the insightful, emotionally absorbing and funny Central Station met with major critical and audience success upon the film’s release in 1998. At the box office, Station reaped over $20,000,000 worldwide on a meager budget of approximately $3,000,000, becoming the top film hit of the year in Brazil, and (at the time) the most financially successful Brazilian film ever in some other countries, including the United States. During awards season, the film and Montenegro received a wealth of well-warranted prizes, with (among other notices of merit) Montenegro scoring Best Actress awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics, The National Board of Review, and the Silver Bear for Best Actress from the Berlin Film Festival, wherein the heartrending Station also won the Golden Lion for Best Film. Further plaudits included Best Foreign Language awards from the National Board, Golden Satellite and the British Academy, wherein it was deemed the Best Non-English Language film. At the Golden Globes, Fernanda was nominated and the film won for Best Foreign Language Film, with both Montenegro and Station going on to receive nominations from the Academy Awards. Over time, the film has continued to be regarded as one of the best offerings from Brazilian cinema, with Station placing at #57 on a 2010 Empire magazine poll of the best World Cinema films #11 on a 2015 poll by the Brazilian Film Critics Association. Maintaining the power to entertain, amuse and deeply move regardless of number of viewings, Central Station will please any movie lover interested in experiencing one of cinema’s richest and most touching comedy/dramas.