Reviews:
BELLA opens with a flashback to a confident young man named Jose
(Eduardo Verastegui) who is poised to become a major soccer star. The
film then flashes forward to the present day, and we see Jose working
as a chef in his brother Manny's (Manny Perez) restaurant. A swaggering
athlete no more, he has camouflaged his striking looks with long hair
and a thick beard. When his hot-tempered brother fires a waitress for
showing up late, Jose makes the spontaneous decision to walk off the
job and go check on her. He catches the young woman, Nina (Tammy
Blanchard), just as she is about to board the subway, and she reveals
to him that she is pregnant. Worried for her, Jose suggests they spend
the day together, and the two set off for a long, meandering jaunt
around New York City. Previously only workmates, they slowly open up to
each other over the course of the day. He brings her out to Long
Island, where she meets his warm and loving family, and it's there that
he tells the tragic story about what derailed his once promising
athletic career. They bond with each other in a deeply intimate, though
platonic way, and by the film's end, Jose and Nina have a lifelong
connection to one another.
Director
Alejandro Gomez Monteverde paints a gritty but lively picture of New
York City, and he peppers the film with scenes of subway turnstiles,
sidewalk artists, and corner bodegas. In doing so he creates a rough
but very real portrait of the city. While BELLA grapples with some
pretty heavy themes, it is ultimately a feel-good tale, with a strong
emphasis on the importance of family, and on the human potential for
change and atonement., IN THEATRES OCTOBER 26, 2007 (Limited)