Bella

Bella
by Alejandro Monteverde

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DVD details

Actor: Ali Landry, Ang?lica Arag?n, Eduardo Ver?stegui, Manny Perez, Tammy Blanchard
Director: Alejandro Monteverde
Brand: Lions Gate
Cinematographer: Andrew Cadelago
Composer: Stephan Altman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-06
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lions Gate

DVD Reviews of Bella

DVD Review: A poignant, masterful film
Summary: 5 Stars

Bella is one of the better films I've seen this year. It has that ellusive mix of visual beauty, a unique voice, and masterful acting and character development that makes a movie both intellectually and emotionally engaging.
The subject is also close to my heart and life-affirming - a good family movie for a those with teenage children (and above)
Some of my friends who watched it were a bit disturbed by the obtuse flashback (or flash-forward) in the middle of the film, but I felt it had just the right level of ambiguity to keep the end of the film a surprise.
But then, I like ambiguity in films.
Wonderful, redemptive movie I highly recommend to those who want to own a library of thought-provoking and culturally inclusive movies.

DVD Review: Second chances
Summary: 4 Stars

This a wonderful film about friendship, humanity and decency at the unexpected moment for all protagonists of the story. We see Jose, working in his brother's restaurant kitchen, surrounded by immigrants from Central and South America. One of the waitresses has been having difficulty showing up to work on time and after being late three days in a row, restaurant owner (Jose's brother Manny) fires her. Everyone is stunned by the unexpected firing but even more when the restaurant chef walks out from the kitchen minutes before lunch hour rush. Jose inexplicably follows young woman and they confide to each other. We get to learn that young waitress is pregnant by a man she does not love and has no resources or family to help her hold onto the child. While she wants to have an abortion, Jose seems to have other plans in mind. As story progresses we learn that these two people get to develop a friendship that will last for a long time to come but not only that, they bond in a way that will heal both of their damaged young lives. The film has unconventional ending, but that is why I liked it.

DVD Review: Terrible Ending
Summary: 2 Stars

I enjoyed the first half. I like it when movies present the viewer with disparate pieces from different times, and they all slowly drift together. The acting is good, and the story was interesting. In the second act, everything just starts becoming too neat and tidy, too predictable, too sickeningly sweet. I'm all for nice movies that make you feel warm and fuzzy, but what they did here was rob the movie of any believability. And that ending... wow. Just terrible. Incredibly forced, not backed up by previous plot events at all, just a blatant attempt at saccharine manipulation. Just a complete non sequitur clumsily shoe-horned in for a lame grab at some unearned audience tears.

DVD Review: A beautiful film...
Summary: 5 Stars

If you're looking for fast-paced action, this movie isn't for you. But if you want a movie with depth of characters...something that will make you think...this is your kind of movie.

DVD Review: WOW !
Summary: 5 Stars

Why did I never hear about this award-winning movie until recently?

It was wonderfully done, powerful yet quiet, great acting (although that bushy beard was distracting). Very inspirational and with a positive message as Jose moves beyond himself and his problems to help someone else.

Description of Bella

An international soccer star (Eduardo Verastegui) is on his way to sign a multimillion dollar contract when something happens that brings his career to an abrupt end. A beautiful waitress (Tammy Blanchard), struggling to make it in New York City, discovers something about herself that she's unprepared for. In one irreversible moment, their lives are turned upside down...until a simple gesture of kindness brings them both together, turning an ordinary day into an unforgettable experience.

Life is a complicated journey in which right and wrong are sometimes indistinct and where the things that really matter are often unclear. Bella is a powerful, leisurely-paced film in which Jose (Eduardo Verastegui) and Nina (Tammy Blanchard) struggle to do what's right while seeking meaning in their lives. A quiet, brooding man with a dark past, Jose works as a chef in his brother Manny's (Manny Perez) restaurant where he mostly keeps to himself until young waitress Nina is fired. Touched by Manny's unfair treatment of Nina, Jose impulsively leaves work to follow Nina and spends a day with her where he discovers that she is pregnant and alone. The two become incredibly close in the space of a day, sharing their pasts, feelings, and fears, and a lasting friendship is born. As Nina struggles with her pregnancy options and Jose comes to terms with a horrific incident from his past, the pair's newfound friendship aids in growth and healing. In the end, Jose and Nina's lives become permanently intertwined in a most beautiful and unexpected way. Bella is a moving, introspective film that will inspire serious personal reflection. --Tami Horiuchi

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