Carla's Song [DVD] [1997] [US Import]

The start of this film is typical Ken Loach. Real people living real life in a film so drenched in reality that it could have been filmed using hidden cameras in Glasgow.

Loach does something on screen that I've never seen any other director do. He manages to get performances so realistic that you feel compelled to stay tuned to see what happens - a bit like a soap opera, but good. You genuinely feel for the characters and believe that they exist - this is especially important for a Loach film as they tend to be politically charged - and the people involved HAVE to feel real in order for the politics to matter.

The first part of this film is set in Glasgow and shows how the Jack-the-lad bus driver George lets an exotic looking passenger (Carla) escape from his bus after she is shouted down by a ticket inspector. She snook onto the bus and has no ticket, George defends her and pays the 40p himself for her a ticket.

She later sees him and thanks him, she even gives him a present for his act of kindness. From that moment on George is intrigued by her and through his persistence they start to develop a friendship. George even `borrows' his bus for a romantic walk in the Scottish countryside.

Robert Carlisle is nothing short of fantastic in this film. His natural charisma helps carry the character of George, and he portrays all the frustration and anger the character has in a touching way.

Carla's suicide attempt, post-traumatic stress, and knowledge that she has a difficult past help George build a strong protective instinct for her. They become lovers and then the film takes a dramatic cinematic shift.

The rest of the film is based in Nicaragua where revolution is all around and Carla must face her demons. Here we see Carla come out of her shell as she begins to feel more comfortable about herself. We she an almost childlike innocence about her and sympathise about the unspoken horrific event which she is so rocked by. They search for her friend and former lover Antonio.

Oyanka Cabezas manages to put across the vulnerability and independence of the mysterious Carla in an equally touching way.

Whilst in Nicaragua they find Bradley - a former associate of Carla and a US worker over there. Bradley played by Alien's Scot Glen provides the mouthpiece for the political teachings of the film. His character is difficult to like initially, but you always feel that this is because he is embittered by people's lack of understanding of the appalling situation in Nicaragua. It is he who explains how the Americans have effectively sponsored the killings of innocent people. Glen acts well in the role, but he seems to stick out like a sore thumb when compared to the more naturalistic acting of the rest of the cast.

I'm not going to discuss the plot any further, but there are scenes with Robert Carlisle which glued me to the screen. His exchange of T-shirts at a bar in Nicaragua was such a powerful scene and couldn't help but make you love George even more.

The film doesn't feel as preachy as other reviews have made out - but it does certainly feel a bit all over the place at times. As if it's trying to cover more than it can in the time it has.

If it wasn't for the strength of Robert Carlisle's performance I'd have maybe given this three stars (as I can't give it 3.5), but because he was so enigmatic during the whole feature - I've given this a four.

I watched Ken Loach's "Kes"(69) many years ago, and was mightily impressed. I still chuckle at the memory of the football scene. It was probably the first film that awoke a social conscience in me. I remember wanting to put on a flat cap, shout ecky thump and head north to where the real men lived. Remarkably the evergreen Loach is still at it, even though he qualified for his free bus pass some time ago. He has always been politically engaged and has sought to educate us about political conflicts. In the case of "Carla's Song"(98), it was about the civil war in Nicaragua.

The film is a rather flimsy story of love between a rebellious Glasgow bus driver, played by Robert Carlyle, and Carla a Nicaraguan woman trying to escape from the horrors of her past. The two slowly try to build a relationship, but this is constantly hampered by Carla's past experiences. I am reminded of words from the Bob Dylan song "Tangled up in Blue". "Then all the while I was alone, the past was close behind". Carlyle decides that the only way to excise the demons is to take Carla back to her homeland, and try to find the answers to haunting questions. This puts them into the danger zone as they seek Carla's family and an old lover. We head to a bittersweet finale. Will true love win the day?

As a love story the film does not quite work for me. The relationship is a little contrived and unlikely. The story itself lacks any real structure and is just a means for Loach to fall back on his common themes of politics gone sour, and mans inhumanity to man. Robert Carlyle is excellent in the lead role. That solid American actor Scott Glenn turns up improbably in the guise of an ex CIA man now batting for the other side. He even picks up a gun for the cause, which reminded me of his role in the western "Silverado". I just had to get some reference to my beloved westerns in! The film does contain some nice scenes, most notably when Carlyle takes Carla on a trip to the hills above Loch Lomond in his double decker bus.

But the love story takes second place to the politics. Franklin D Roosevelt supposedly said in 1939 of the Nicaraguan dictator Somoza, who was perceived to be anti communist, "He may be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch". The quote has often been used for those that back unjust causes for misguided reasons. The US backed the Contras who were the last struggling embers of the Samoza days, thus prolonging an agonising conflict. In 1984 they were taken to the world court in the Hague where they were ordered to pay 17 billion dollars as compensation for illegal military intervention. I am not being political here, merely stating the facts. Mr Loach has, through the medium of film, made me much more aware of what actually took place in Nicaragua. Politics and films do not always mix in the wrong hands, but in the hands of Loach it works perfectly. He wears his heart on his sleeve as they say. I was both educated and entertained. A happy mix. Recommended.

Carla's Song is a strange film, but highly watchable. The concept of a Glasgow bus driver taking pity on a Nicaraguan refugee with no money to pay her fare and then falling for her is an unusual one. Does it work? Kind of, but not really. The relationship accelerates at an implausible pace and before we know it the Glasgow bus driver has dumped his blonde fiancee and is in Central America rapidly learning about the sandanistas etc amidst guerilla warfare.

Although the premise of the film is quite strange it's still an entertaining story and has a number of amusing scenes. For example, the dialogue exchange at the very end about the CIA and the Glasgow buses is an absolute classic.

Set in 1987, the film-makers have paid attention to detail (including the old red Strathclyde Regional Council buses and Glasgow's Miles Better t-shirts). Some of the actors here are also familiar faces and do seem to pop up all the time in Scottish films (Orphans, My Name Is Joe etc).

Overall, an unusual, amusing tale of contrasts (urban Glasgow and the Nicaraguan jungle), dark at times and with light humour, but entertaining.

There's also a raft of useful extras on this DVD package.