WHEN a former schoolteacher writes letters for the illiterate of Rio de Janeiro's central station she did not foresee the journey it will lead to.
Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) often wrote letters for the mother of a young boy, Josue (Vinicius de Oliveira), sending them to his father whom he had never met.
But when Josue's mother is killed in a car accident, Dora helps the nine-year-old boy to track down his one remaining parent.
The journey brings together this unlikely partnership, Dora, a bad-tempered, stern old woman and Josue, a smart child full of innocence.
This emotive journey leads the pair to the north-east of Brazil offering the audience to view the underbelly of Brazilian life.
The 1998 film was directed by Walter Salles, whose recent release, The Motorcycle Diaries, has proved a hit with cinemagoers and critics alike.
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