Karen Cries on The Bus

Can a woman who severs ties with her wealthy spouse survive alone in the big, bad city? It’s a conundrum posed, but not satisfactorily addressed, by this wispy Colombian drama, which too often feels like it’s manufacturing a series of cod trials and tribulations for its weepy, bus-riding heroine (Angela Carrizosa) rather than observing her subtle readjustment to a life of poverty. Paying heed to the transcendent miniatures of late French master, Eric Rohmer – not just through the title, but in an awkward scene where Karen is seen leafing through a book about the cinematic sage – the film lacks any real emotional heft, and its preachy, it’ll-all-be-OK-in-the-end tone does little to ingratiate you to its cause.