In A Class Of Her Own

Newcastle Herald

Friday June 11, 1999

Dominic Hughes

IF Gwyneth Paltrow had any sense of justice at all she'd hand over the best actress Oscar she picked up for her stroll through Shakespeare in Love to Fernanda Montenegro.

How anyone could put Paltrow's performance in the same class as Montenegro's in this Brazilian film truly astounds me.

Montenegro plays Dora, an unemployed school teacher who makes ends meet writing letters at $1 a go for the illiterate souls who crowd through Rio's Central Station in Brazil each day.

At night she goes home to sort through the letters with her friend and neighbour Irene, throwing most in the bin, mailing a few, and stuffing those she cannot decide on into a drawer.

One such letter is from Ana and her young son Josue (de Oliveira), who wish to contact the boy's estranged father in a distant part of the country.

When Ana is killed by a bus outside the station, orphaned Josue wanders alone in the station until Dora eventually takes him under her wing and the two go in search of the boy's father.

The cold exterior that has made Dora a survivor in a tough country thaws from her first contact with Josue. Her journey goes far beyond the distance between two points. ? Dominic Hughes Showcase

Central Station (M) Director: Walter Salles Stars: Fernanda Montenegro, Vinicius de Oliveira. Rating: ????

© 1999 Newcastle Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home