Central do Brasil (1998)

Director:

Walter Salles

Writers:

Marcos Bernstein (writer)
João Emanuel Carneiro (writer)

Release Date:

20 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

He was looking for the father he never knew. She was looking for a second chance.

Plot:

An emotive journey of a former school teacher, who write letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, in search for the father he never knew.

Plot Keywords:

Letter | Teacher | Brazil | Theft | Bus

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 29 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Fernanda Montenegro	...	Dora
Marília Pêra	...	Irene
Vinícius de Oliveira	...	Josué
Soia Lira	...	Ana
Othon Bastos	...	Cesar
Otávio Augusto	...	Pedrão
Stela Freitas	...	Yolanda
Matheus Nachtergaele	...	Isaías
Caio Junqueira	...	Moisés
Socorro Nobre	...	Dora's Client
Manoel Gomes	...	Dora's Client
Roberto Andrade	...	Dora's Client
Sheyla Kenia	...	Dora's Client
Malcon Soares	...	Dora's Client
Maria Fernandes	...	Dora's Client

Also Known As:

Central Station (UK) (USA)
Central do Brasil (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

113 min | Canada:115 min | Finland:110 min | Netherlands:108 min | Germany:108 min

Country:

Brazil | France

Language:

Portuguese | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Central do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

Vinicius de Oliveira, a shoeshine boy, beat out more than 1,500 other young actors for the role of Josué.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dora's Client: [dictating a letter] My darling, My heart belongs to you. No matter what you've done, I still love you. I love you. While you're locked in there all those years, I'll be locked up out here, waiting for you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in O Outro Lado da Rua (2004)

Soundtrack:

Mama África

Great

Great movie, warm and bittersweet. It somehow reminded me of

My Life as a Dog (1985) because it more or less deals with the

same issues, but we move from the Swedish North to the sunny

Brazilian South. Beautiful colors, great acting--Josue and Dora

make a wonderful pair and they really foil each other out. Almost

starts dragging a little before the end, but it picks up again. I highly

recommend.