Karen Cries on the Bus

In this drama from Colombian writer-director Gabriel Rojas Vera, Karen (Angela Carrizosa) leaves a bad marriage after 10 years with almost no money or sense of self. She rents a room in a grungy boardinghouse and befriends Patricia (Angelica Sanchez), a younger free spirit living in the same building. Through their friendship, Karen slowly begins to move toward a more independent life, while also meeting new people. Karen Cries on the Bus is a very quiet movie that is also exhilarating to watch, both for the beauty and grime of Bogotá and the flowering of human dignity that unfolds onscreen as Karen becomes an agent of her own rescue and steward of her own morality. A powerful and inspiring film, this is highly recommended. (H. Seggel)