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 The Magnificent Seven (1960)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Rudie Can't Fail

In CARLA'S SONG, Ken Loach focuses his brand of UK social realism on The Contras and Sandinistas. The film recounts the story of a Scottish bus driver, played by Robert Carlyle, who falls in love with a beautiful woman from Nicaragua. She has been physically and psychically wounded in the revolutionary conflict of that country, and they both journey to Nicaragua in an attempt put her life back together. At face value, this seems like a weak or far fetched premise for a film, yet CARLA'S SONG demonstrates a very real and intense chemistry between the two lovers. Robert Carlyle is most convincing with his extemporaneous ad libs and off-hand comments, and they really added a sincere warmth to his character. However, subtitles were desperately needed for the Spanish speaking parts of the film, and a large chunk of the Scottish dialog was nearly uninterpretable. Overall, CARLA'S SONG renders an accurate portrait of 1980's working poor in Scotland, and a realistic view of the Sandinista Freedom Fighters as seen through the prism of a world class love affair.