First off let me say that "Central Station" is very slow moving. The movie seems to drag on and on. It's not as bad as "Children of Heaven", but it is not far off. Just wanted to give all you readers that warning. The story is about a letter writer and reader named Dora, who seems to be a bitter person at first glance. She doesn't even do her job. All she has to do is mail out letters and she doesn't she keeps them in a drawer in her apartment or she just rips them up and throws them out. I personally don't understand this. She gets paid to write letters and mail them, so why not do your job woman! I found "Central Station" very boring and dry. Here's the trailer for this film:
It would seem that a lot of films to come out of these third world foreign countries are long and slow, which isn't bad, but it helps when you have an entertaining plot line. Also you need to keep things moving at a pace that won't put your audience to sleep. "Central Station" has no action or entertaining plot twists to keep it afloat! The travel across Brazil to bring the child back to his father should have been an entertaining cross country adventure, but instead it turned into a cross country nightmare... for the viewer that is! No doubt the camera work is first rate. There are many scenic shots however, shots and scenery alone cannot save an entire film. This is one of the scenes from "Central Station" that is nicely shot and actually one of the better scenes of the movie. In this scene Dora is having lunch with the truck driver and she makes an advance towards him. It is an intimate scene, but also a funny one because the driver doesn't want anything like that so he slips away leaving her stranded with the boy:
The actors do portray their roles well, but the subject matter is so basic and done in a bland fashion. I can't believe this film won awards. Sorry about that however, it has to be said. If people can put money into making a film like this why can't they invest in other films that are better. The DP of this film obviously did his job because there are a lot of beautiful scenic shots. When Dora and the boy arrive at the town where his father is supposed to be it's very well presented. The set-ups and town atmosphere works to help portray the poverty and desolation of the area which they are in.
The drama is very strong in the upcoming scene when the boy is actually united with his brothers. The realization that his father is not there brings to mind the usual drama that you would see in an American soap opera. Not having a father is an item that many people can relate to. Thousands of children are born each day without fathers. Both America and the third world countries have this problem. People must cope with the loss or revelation that they don't have the benefit of parents. Here's a clip showing that:
Another item brought to mind is that of human slavery, which "Central Station" touches on when Dora at first brings the child to a so called adoption agency, but actually they are human traders. Child slavery is something that exists and will continue to exist. Most nations know of the problems, but when there are so many it is really tough to crack down on them. Life is brought and sold like meat at a market. The child slavery ring is especially big because they want to condition the children for hard work at basically no cost. In a way China, Brazil and other places thrive on this because of the cheap labor. Making just 10 cents an hour is not pay it is slavery! People have an interesting way of sugarcoating things, but you can't sugarcoat the element of human life and the treatment of children for that matter. Here's a clip of the child slavery ring:
Another thing is the music in Brazil. This film does give a slight taste of the kind of composed music found in foreign films that come from within this region. The contemporary, but somewhat classical approach works effectively. Making a dramatic statement can be found through the music in this film. The piano music fits very nicely with the action that is taking place on the screen. To sum up in all "Central Station" is not the worst that foreign cinema has to offer however, it is not the greatest. Remember not everyone will like everything and this film falls into that category. Here's one last clip from "Central Station", and this is perhaps the most dramatic and heart wrenching part of this film.
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