Central do Brasil

Looking for Jesus in contemporary Brazil. In a land of mistrust, lost certainties and indifference. If it’s not a matter of life and death, everyone’s interest ends with their property. It’s time to change this situation, to embark on a journey and, in the meantime…to understand. Central Station differentiates itself from the sometimes aggressively different films of Cinema Novo (reverberations of the culture shock Macunaíma) with its universal comprehensibility, which some may take as pandering. Salles poses uncomplicated questions in an uncomplicated way. The story is crucial for him. It’s as if he is discovering his homeland together with the viewers and the characters, which makes sense, given that he spent his childhood in Europe and studied in California. Thanks to the “overview” nature of the road-movie genre, we travel with him through a good bit of Brazil. From the big city to the end of the world. The scenery changes; the people, not so much. They are not happy, but Salles does not deny them hope. Even though I perceive such a view of the Third World as naïve and dubious, I’m glad that I let myself be carried away for these two hours. 80% (24/05/2011)

A beautiful, human story about what can happen when a little boy meets someone he doesn't know at all and whom he doesn't like, but with whom he must spend some time. Sure, it's quite reminiscent of Kolya, but I wouldn't look for any major inspiration here. It just turned out to be an excellent film on a similar theme. (16/10/2016)