Carla's Song (1996)

1987, love in time of war. A bus driver George Lennox meets Carla, a Nicaraguan exile living a precarious, profoundly sad life in Glasgow. Her back is scarred, her boyfriend missing, her ... See full summary »

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty

Stars:

Robert Carlyle, Oyanka Cabezas, Scott Glenn

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Carlyle	...	George Lennox
Oyanka Cabezas	...	Carla
Scott Glenn	...	Bradley
Salvador Espinoza	...	Rafael
Louise Goodall	...	Maureen
Richard Loza	...	Antonio
Gary Lewis	...	Sammy
Subash Singh Pall	...	Victor
Stewart Preston	...	McGurk
Margaret McAdam	...	George's Mother
Pamela Turner	...	Eileen
Greg Friel	...	Keyboard Player
Anne Marie Timoney	...	Warden
Andy Townsley	...	Taxi Driver
Alicia Devine	...	Hospital Sister

Storyline

1987, love in time of war. A bus driver George Lennox meets Carla, a Nicaraguan exile living a precarious, profoundly sad life in Glasgow. Her back is scarred, her boyfriend missing, her family dispersed; she's suicidal. George takes her to Nicaragua to find out what has happened to them and to help her face her past. Once home, Carla's nightmarish memories take over, and Carla and George are thrown into the thick of the US war against the Sandinistas. A mystery develops over where Carla's boyfriend is, and the key to his whereabouts may be Carla's friend Bradley, a bitter American aid worker. She finds her family, the Contras attack, and she and the Scot face their choices.

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Plot Keywords:

bus driver | love | bus | contras | nicaraguan | 

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Taglines:

A dream called freedom. A nightmare called Nicaragua.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

UK Spain Germany

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

15 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Canção de Carla

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 60,006,724 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alta Films, Channel Four Films, Degeto Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Carlyle learned to drive a bus for his part in the film.

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Connections

References Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

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Soundtracks

"Your Song"
(uncredited)
Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Heard during the bar scene in Glasgow

User Reviews

The other side of the story

I saw this first at the Watershed in Bristol, a celebration of that city's twinning arrangement with the Nicaraguan town of Puerto Morazan. The town had just been devastated by Hurricane Mitch and the ensuing floods, yet the resourceful people of Morazan had emerged from the disaster without loss of life, and yet again they got on with their lives. They are used to this, after generations of bouncing back from flood, volcano, earthquake, military dictatorship and the hegemony of the global megacorporations backed by the US government. And their representatives tell us that Ken Loach's film gives their small voice a hearing.

This is my favourite amongst Loach's films. It combines its political message - an important one - with comedy and a touching love story. It should be better known.