Bella
This is not really a review just a shameless recommendation. You should watch Bella. The basic premiss is that two wounded people spend a simple, yet emotional day together that changes both their lives. The film is very sensual with bright, rich colors and lots of food. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the day these two people spent together and especially the depictions of New York City life. Although this film had its tyrants, the kindness of many of the characters was warm and welcome like the summer sun. It is very sweet. Too sweet for some, judging from the cold reception that critics gave it overall. In fact, I think it is a good example of what is wrong with critics today. They are not comfortable with something (a conclusion, a character) being shamelessly good. They feel the need to criticize with only their minds, not heart and soul. I can see that it is not a perfect film. It is the first movie from writer/director Alejandro G. Monteverde, and in some ways it seems like a first film. Much of the criticism is along the lines of it being gushy, unbelievable, and too optimistic. Goodness happens sometimes, this film does not shy away from sadness, but there is much and beautiful redemption. Which reminds me, ‘bella’ means beautiful in Spanish. Way, way, way too many critics cited as a final blow against the film, ‘a title that doesn’t make sense till the last scene.’ All your cynicism is undone by such nearsightedness. By the time I finished this movie I had enjoyed it so much, and its conclusion was so perfect (and I thought not overly sentimental) that I couldn’t help but just unabashedly like it. I will say one more thing. I first heard of the film in a small Christian publication because the film is touted as being pro-life and its director a (hopefully!) shinning star of Christianity in the film industry. Many nay-sayers, like Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer, call it ‘aggressively pro-life’. I would like to go on the record and say this is total garbage. This film is as subtly, and perfectly, pro-life as it could possibly be. I would enjoy a film that was as sweetly and subtly pro-abortion as this is one is pro-life. Oh wait, that would be impossible. I pray for more filmmakers like Monteverde. He is doing it right. In a twisted world where super-hero movies are the most “christian” thing at the box office, we definitely need more directors and writers like this. Whatever legitimate criticisms Bella could receive, are far outweighed by its pros. I urge you to watch this film. If you lay aside bitter cynicism, I don’t see how you could help but enjoy it. Then try an experiment, and read these reviews:
Stephen Holden of the New York Times and Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer get it wrong. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times and Marc Sevlov of the Austin Chronicle get it right.
