Karen Cries On The Bus

Divorce Colombian style: "I'm repainting my life"
Let me state upfront that I am a big fan of the Film Movement library of foreign and indie movies, so much so that I finally gave in and joined their DVD-of-the-month club last year. But I'm still catching up on earlier releases as well, and this is one of those.

"Karen Cries On the Bus" (2011 release from Colombia; 98 min.) opens as we see Karen (played by Angela Carrizosa) sitting on the bus, in tears. Karen arrives at a cheap boarding house where she rents a room, and it is only later that we find out she has just left her husband. Later on, Karen's mom arranges a 'reconciliation' meeting between the two of them and Karen temporarily returns to him, but not for long. Karen makes the acquaintance of Patricia, who also rents a room in the same boarding house. Meanwhile, Karen is desparate to land a job as she is almost out of money. Then one day, as she takes a coffee break in a local cafe, Karen's handbag is stolen, leaving her penniless, literally. What is she going to...

Starting Over
The title of this film refers to the way in which its protagonist manipulates well-meaning strangers to provide her with money which she needs to survive given her relinquishment of a financially comfortable but ultimately deadening marriage to a shallow, self-absorbed man who cannot see Karen as a person in her own right to save his life. Beautifully photographed and well acted, Karen Cries On the Bus is a gritty, often disturbing examination of the profound difficulties generally encountered when a socially isolated individual possessing little native talent is precipitously thrust into society with no resources except the wile and determination to make it on her own whatever the cost. My problem with the film was that I often found Karen to be an unsympathetic character but that did not stop me from remaining absorbed by the film-making throughout. 3.5 stars.

Realistic life journey
As the title might suggest, Karen Cries on the Bus begins with it's title character sobbing on a bus. Her destination is the city of Bogota, Colombia, though she has little money and no job to support herself. It's soon learned that she is leaving her husband. This emotional opening sequence alone is enough to illustrate the trials of life and the difficult journeys we sometimes have to make.

The character of Karen (Anjela Carrizosa) could be anyone. She's portrayed as an average housewife, who we assume has been living a comfortable life with her successful husband. Like many of us, she has regrets about her life. Though unlike most people, Karen makes the drastic and life changing decision to leave her husband and try to find herself. This particular scenario doesn't just apply to marriage. It could be someone who decides to take a leap by quitting their job and starting a new one. Taking action to find oneself is scary and not without risk.

Karen takes on the...

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