It mixes intriguing characters, religious allegory and imagery with gritty back-roads realism. She scrapes a living writing letters for illiterates at Rio's teeming city rail station. He's played by luminous-faced Vinicius de Oliveira, discovered by director Walter Salles as a shoeshine boy at the Rio airport. At first Dora tries to sell him for what she thinks is adoption by rich Americans. Armed only with an address on a letter, Dora reluctantly takes Josue back into the bleak countryside to find his father, Jesus, a carpenter whom she fears is an abuser.
Love grows between the worldly-wise woman and the skeptical kid.
Events and characters are full of religious symbolism. The meaning may be that God still loves us. In any case, it's a celebration of hope. A sure cure for the mall-movie blues. In Portuguese with English titles.