Bella (2007) Review

The story behind the movie is almost as interesting as the film itself. It involves the star of the film and how he got into the picture. Apparently he was a soap opera and rock star in Mexico and came to the U.S. to get into American films.

This is not your typical movie fare. It has some real human interest in it and it is very honest about its characters. I don't want to give away the story line, but it is about a social problem that many people face and it is resolved without preaching and in a surprising way. It also had some great scenes with the family which is Hispanic and we get to see a bit of what looks like authentic Hispanic culture.

Although it was a little confusing at first, I loved the way the story line was intercut with past and future. There were a few places that could have been less melodramatic, but it was well-acted on the whole.

It was disappointing that some of our local reviewers called it a "foreign film" which will discourage some people from going to it. There is some Spanish in it, but its set in NYC and the two lead actors live in America and one of them is white. I don't think that qualifies as a "foreign film".

This film will change some people's lives. I hope a lot of people go to see it. It was ranked #1 in the U.S. recently.