User Reviews

This is a great movie, a simple story about a woman in her 30s that finds that she is unhappy with her husband and decides to begin a new life, no matter the sacrifices she has to do.

This movie has a lot of things to highlight, one of the most interesting is the approach to the marriage relation, most of the movies leading with this, portraits the woman as a victim, the husbands are almost a beasts that threats them like an animal, cheating and often physical violence, but this movie not, Karen is unhappy living with her husband, why? We don't know, it simply she is not satisfied, but is not a victim.

The picture is a continuous tribute to Eric Rohmer, is obvious at the beginning of the movie, when Karen is standing in front of a bookstore window and you can see lots of book of the director, and is not only that is the whole movie, a simple story about a woman and her search in life.

The movie is realistic in all its aspects, the location, the characters, the acting. It is settle in Bogotá, but in the real city, not the slump city or the fashion one, the real one where people lives and loves and works, the characters, are ordinary people that has to work, suffer and struggle and the acting reach its highest point of realistic in some scenes when Karen must beg for some money for the bus, it is clear that she made that for real and the sequences was shoot with a hidden Camera.

And other great thing is that the directors knows what he is doing, a simple story about a woman finding happiness in her life, just that, and that is what is shown on the screen, without any manipulations or statements.

This movie simply oozes with theme. There is a strong thread woven with loneliness and despair running through the opening minutes of this movie which seems relentless. It is excellently directed, acted and produced. I found myself glued to every moment, wondering how it would transpire for our protagonist, Karen: Nether hero nor 'anti-hero' - but purely human, with problems, seeking resolve in the life in which she finds herself.

Loneliness and alienation are most compellingly what drives this movie thoughtfully forward. Yet it is, surprisingly, not a depressing movie. Moreover, it is very much that rare thing nowadays: a great movie. At times subtle perhaps even whimsical overtones of hope perfectly complement the engaging story of Karen who first appears to us, crying, lonely on a bus, traveling somewhere; And yet, in a sense, nowhere. But where is she going, and why? Screenplay is first class as is everything else about this production. Albeit its musical score is perhaps underplayed. Still, that's hardly a fault. Direction, as mentioned, is as masterful as everything else about this starkly believable movie. So the only element which could possibly have been improved upon in this movie was its understated musical score. And if that's the only criticism one could say of a movie, doesn't that suggest this is something very special?

Our interest as viewers is perfectly piqued from the offset. And our hold remains throughout this true little gem of a movie. I hope you'll find it as stimulating in so many ways as I did. For this is a very human movie which is also existential, and angst driven. This movie is quality throughout. All in all, 'Karen Cries On The Bus' is a most excellent, realistic and very human film.

Karen leaves her husband to find herself. She has to panhandle to make ends meet (crying at bus stops is one of her techniques). She makes friends finds a job decides in the end that independence is the biggest thing she is after--turns down a relation to keep it.

My problem with the movie is it is a generation or two behind the curve. Bookstores and playwrights went out with the 20th century. These cliché intellectual icons of uber importance in South America need to be updated for age of Amazon and the internet. I don't see how libraries or bookstores pay their way anymore.

Also the feminist drumbeat does nothing for me either...having Karen cut her hair as she achieves independence etc...

But that said the story is pleasant enough the movie has wonderful real scenes and other than the somewhat anachronistic cliché nature of the icons it is a decent effort.

There are so many stupid movies made--this one is fantastic by comparison. With a little tweaking this could have been 10 stars.

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