‘Central Station’ Is Must-See Take on Rio’s Hard Reality
Something told me to see the movie “Central Station” last night. Perhaps it was Howard Rosenberg’s article about the two versions of Rio de Janeiro, the one in KABC’s “Eyewitness News” and the one portrayed in “Central Station” (“Flying Down to Rio With ‘Eyewitness News’ View,” Feb. 19).
Riveting storytelling. It has my vote for the best foreign picture. For two hours, I was living this incredible portrayal of life in the hell of Rio’s poor. It did not appear to be acting; it was their real life. At moments I felt as though I was watching Dickens’ England and Europe’s Inquisition, all with a South American setting. It was seething culture shock, upfront and personal.
It should be must-see watching for all Orange County parents and older children. This is how much of the world exists. Have we not yet learned how to treat and coexist with fellow human beings? Has religion really made substantive progress in bettering the human condition worldwide?
How fortunate we are to be living in the United States. Couldn’t we all be more compassionate to those less fortunate, abroad and in this country?
WILLIAM R. REINHARDT
Irvine
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