(1998)
4
Karl Williams
Global awareness of Brazil's rebounding film community continued to grow with Central Station (1998), the third feature of Rio de Janeiro-born director Walter Salles. Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and for the performance of leading lady Fernanda de Montenegro, the film is similar to Vittorio de Sica's The Bicycle Thief (1948) in its depiction of the fragile relationship between a world-weary, cold-hearted adult and a fearful but idealistic boy. Salles's preoccupation with Brazil's economic hardships and their effect on his native society was also the basis for his previous film, Terra Estrangeira (1995), about a generation of Brazilians who have emigrated to the industrialized south or out of the country entirely, seeking greater economic opportunity. Central Station is also a tearjerker and functions effectively on a purely emotional level, due in no small part to the non-manipulative, dazzlingly subtle performance by Montenegro. Reminiscent of both the DeSica classic and of the writing of Charles Dickens, Salles' film is a tale of spiritual reawakening that calls, like many nostalgic American films, for both a new identity and a return to a place and sense of self that has been lost.
awards for Central Station on AllMovie
Central Station (1998)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
|
Nominated |
Best Actress
|
1998 |
|
Nominated |
Best Foreign Language Film
|
1998 |
Berlin International Film Festival
|
Won |
Golden Bear
|
1998 |
|
Won |
Silver Bear for Best Actress
|
1998 |
French Academy of Cinema
|
Nominated |
Best Foreign Language Film
|
1998 |
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
|
Won |
Best Foreign Language Film
|
1998 |
Independent Spirit Awards
|
Nominated |
Best Foreign Film
|
1998 |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
|
Won |
Best Actress
|
1998 |
|
Won |
Best Foreign Language Film
|
1998 |
National Board of Review
|
Won |
Best Actress
|
1998 |
|
Won |
Best Foreign Film
|
1998 |
National Society of Film Critics
|
Won |
Best Actress - Runner-up
|
1998 |
Telluride Film Festival
|
Presented |
Film Presented
|
1998 |
