Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Back_Row_Babe 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.

George Parker "Carla's Song" tells of a quixotic Glasgow bus driver (Carlyle) who befriends a troubled Nicaraguan refugee (Cabezas) and embarks upon an odyssey in which she must stare down the demons of her past. A gritty, visceral, and very human cross-culture drama, "Carla's Song" builds depth into its characters and realism into the film as it explores Carla's past through the ravages of Nicaragua's civil war (Circa 1978ish) searching for the resolution she so desperately needs. An excellent watch for realists into foreign films. (B+)NOTE: The DVD I watched has no CC and only a part of the Spanish language dialogue was subtitled which, combined with accents, dialects, and slang in both Scotland and Nicaragua, made for language problems which interfered with the enjoyment of the film.

jtur88 I will always recommend a picture that reflects the reality of a place, and Carla's Song shows Nicaragua very authentically. That, in addition the fact that the film was a quality piece overall. You will see the Nicaragua that I saw, very faithfully represented (I'm not talking about the politics, an issue I will stay away from. Just the reflection on the feel of the country.) As the story developed in Scotland, I said to myself "I just know this is going to turn into a hokey travelogue when they get to Nicaragua". But that's not what happened. Bravo!

Serpico-7 It is easy to overlook this Ken Loach film. Critics had not been so kind about the excellent Land and Freedom as they had been in the past, and Carla's song didn't fare that well either. It seems difficult to understand why. The inimicable brand of social realism is there as is the focus on the experiences and emotions of the individual. There is even the trademark visual in-joke.More than any other character in the recent past I cared for Carla. All performances are exceptional. What we have here is social realism that expands into political statement and ultimately human tragedy.If at all possible, try to see this film. Carlisle's broad Scottish accent may make it difficult to follow for the non-initiated, but persevere, and you will be rewarded.