British filmmaker Ken Loach blended a love story with strong political commentary in this powerful drama. George (Robert Carlyle) is a bus driver working in Glasgow who has a strong independent streak and has developed a serious crush on one of his regular passengers, a woman from Nicaragua named Carla (Oyanka Cabezas). Carla occasionally is short of money for her fare, so George lets he ride for free; when his boss finds out about this, it's added to a list of small insubordinations, and George is fired. However, he stays in touch with Carla and learns she's a good bit more troubled than he imagined. She's given to dramatic mood swings and has attempted suicide, and in time he learns that her emotional problems stem from the disappearance and probable death of her boyfriend Antonio (Richard Loza), a Sandinista who is believed to have been kidnapped by the U.S.-backed Contra rebels. The largely apolitical George travels with Carla to Nicaragua to help her look for Antonio. In their travels, they meet Bradley (Scott Glenn), an American who was once a CIA "advisor" to the Contra who has turned his back on their policies and now works alongside the Sandinistas. Carla's Song was a gold medal winner at the 1997 Venice Film Festival.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide