The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Rick Groen

Easily among the top 10 films made last year.

New York Daily News by Jami Bernard

Normally the sound in movie theaters is of popcorn crunching. But the sound at theaters where Central Station is showing is of hearts breaking.

San Francisco Chronicle by Edward Guthmann

Fernanda Montenegro gives a landmark performance.

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

A richly tender and moving experience.

Time by Richard Schickel

[Salles]'s imagery, like his storytelling, is clear, often unaffectedly lovely, and quietly, powerfully haunting.

New Times (L.A.) by Jean Oppenheimer

But in a calculated move that pays off handsomely, the picture's remarkable power is reserved for the end, when the intertwining themes coalesce in an extraordinarily satisfying and stirring way.

Los Angeles Times by Kevin Thomas

For Fernanda Montenegro, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Italy's late Giulietta Masina (Federico Fellini's wife and frequent star) in appearance and talent, "Central Station" is a personal triumph and a rich cinematic experience.

The New Yorker by David Denby

An intimate epic.

Washington Post by Rita Kempley

Profoundly affecting.

San Francisco Examiner by G. Allen Johnson

Salles' solid narrative is only deceptively simple; there is a lot of dimension and depth to this gentle, sometimes painful portrait of two wanderers.

The New York Times by Janet Maslin

There's plenty of room for sentimentality here, but the wonder of Salles' film is all in the telling.

The A.V. Club

While the cinematography is gorgeous and the script extremely sharp, Central Station owes much of its strength to its two mismatched leads.

The New York Times by Elvis Mitchell

There's plenty of room for sentimentality here, but the wonder of Salles' film is all in the telling.

Variety by Todd McCarthy

Montenegro carries the film su-perbly with her portrait of gritty strength being worn down to a state of tattered vulnerability, while newcomer de Oliveira, a shoeshine boy who won the role over 1,500 other aspirants, is engagingly natural and happily doesn't beg for viewer sympathy.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

The movie's success rests largely on the shoulders of Fernanda Montenegro, an actress who successfully defeats any temptation to allow sentimentality to wreck her relationship with the child.

Film Threat by Ron Wells

I wasn't in the mood for this film, but it got to me anyway.

New York Magazine (Vulture) by Peter Rainer

In this otherwise rather schematic swatch of social catharsis, Brazil's Fernanda Montenegro gives the best performance by an actress I've seen all year.