I PVR'd this film the other day when it was on tv. Here's what is said, and how it happens, during this scene:
- Joan walks up to the bus driver who's standing at the door of the bus and says, in English, "Ah, is this the bus to Cartagena?"
- he says, "¿Qué?"
- she says, "Oh! ¿Es este el autobús a Ca.."
- man with hat (Zolo) appears from behind and says at the same time, "Cartagena"
- she turns around and says, "Oh, you speak English! Good, can you tell me, is this bus going to Cartagena?"
- he replies, "Yes, Cartagena."
- relieved, she says, "Great. Thank you!"
To answer the OP's question, let's follow a progression of logical thoughts:
-1) she is not fluent in Spanish so asked her question to the bus driver in English
-2) the bus driver's answer was "¿Qué?" (meaning "What?"), indicating that he does not understand English, let alone speak it
-3) She attempts to ask the question again, in Spanish, with the help of her Spanish/English translations book
-4) the stranger with the hat finished her Spanish sentence with the same word she'd used a few moments earlier to end her English question; therefore it is reasonable to assume that not only had he overheard some or all of the conversation, but he understood it
-5) the stranger's completion of her Spanish sentence must have been an offer of assistance - as it'd be unnecessary and rude for a stranger who wasn't part of the conversation to randomly complete your sentence when they had no intention of being a further part of it.
-6) the stranger would not offer his assistance if he did not think he would be able to be useful.
- CONCLUSION: the stranger heard the question in English, understood it, and having witnessed her struggling to speak Spanish, was interrupting as an indication that he could be of assistance. Therefore, Joan assumed he spoke English and was open to being asked a question. Were she wrong, no harm done.
Her assumption, whether it was right or wrong - was really was not noteworthy or worth getting upset about.. especially as it was a movie full of improbable situations!
Personally, I found the plausibility of her assumption far less troubling than the other issues I had with this scene:
-1) Why did none of the other passengers on the bus Joan boarded question why the destination sign on the front of the bus said "Cartagena", when it was in fact the "Castillo de San Felipe" bus?
-2) The bus drivers stood by the bus door, greeting passengers, but why did he not check tickets - and why did no passenger ahead of Joan offer him their ticket as they boarded?
-3) If Zolo was behind the destination sign being changed, and the sole purpose of the switch was to deceive Joan, why was the sign changed to the actual destination's name BEFORE she boarded?
-4) Although there are a few places in the world with the name "Castillo de San Felipe", one is an old fortress that is located in the city of Cartagena itself (which is where Joan wanted to be), and NONE of the others are accessible from Colombia by bus! The Guatemalan town of this name can't be reached by road from Colombia due to the impassable Darien Gap in Panama, the one in Puerto Rico is on an island in the NE Caribbean Sea, and the other one is across the Atlantic Ocean, in Spain!
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zziiyy
11 years ago
Personally, I found the plausibility of her assumption far less troubling than the other issues I had with this scene:
-1) Why did none of the other passengers on the bus Joan boarded question why the destination sign on the front of the bus said "Cartagena", when it was in fact the "Castillo de San Felipe" bus?
-2) The bus drivers stood by the bus door, greeting passengers, but why did he not check tickets - and why did no passenger ahead of Joan offer him their ticket as they boarded?
-3) If Zolo was behind the destination sign being changed, and the sole purpose of the switch was to deceive Joan, why was the sign changed to the actual destination's name BEFORE she boarded?
-4) Although there are a few places in the world with the name "Castillo de San Felipe", one is an old fortress that is located in the city of Cartagena itself (which is where Joan wanted to be), and NONE of the others are accessible from Colombia by bus! The Guatemalan town of this name can't be reached by road from Colombia due to the impassable Darien Gap in Panama, the one in Puerto Rico is on an island in the NE Caribbean Sea, and the other one is across the Atlantic Ocean, in Spain!
1) The other passengers were going to Castillo de San Felipe and knew that was where the bus was going.
2) Really?
3) He was taking advantage of the opportunity for her to get on the wrong bus. He didn't make that happen.
4) Really?
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