Bella is beautiful.(THE LAST WORD)(Movie review)

Hollywood rarely, these days, produces films that illustrate and celebrate the unique importance of traditional values in our increasingly degraded society. Quite the contrary, in fact, as the big movie studios often seem to do their level best to undermine traditional values in an ongoing quest to pursue further societal and cultural "change."

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When was the last time, for instance, you saw a movie on the big screen condemning abortion? Well, Bella, an independently produced movie does. And it contains a hearty moral theme mingled with a strong sense of family and love, portraying a refreshingly positive attitude. It begins with a delightful and amusing narrative that says, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." This first line very much sums up life for the characters in the movie--their best-laid plans go awry, and with the most unimagined consequences.

While not emotionally gripping, the film has a lightness and sweetness to it, grabbing and holding your attention, without recourse to uncouth and obscene language: Bella champions decent morals. Given today's standards, it is an exceptional film.

Bella tells the story of Nina, a young waitress in New York City. Poor, single, and pregnant, she is befriended by the main character, Jose, a Spanish-speaking immigrant and his family. Jose is portrayed by the extremely handsome Eduardo Verastegui, who is also the film's director. Jose is a down-on-his-luck soccer champ turned line cook, working stoically in his brother's restaurant. Nina is played by relative newcomer Tammy Blanchard. After Nina is fired for showing up late for work three times, a cardinal sin to Manny, Jose's brother and owner of the business, Jose, sensing someone in need, follows her out of the restaurant. She tells him she is pregnant and was late for work because of morning sickness, that she is alone and now jobless, and that the father of the child is out of the picture, as they walk along.

The filmmakers chose to reveal the life stories of the characters by using frequent flashbacks and flash-forwards that are confusing at times. Despite this, the acting in Bella is excellent, believable, and natural, and the filmmakers frequently capitalize on the youth and attractiveness of the actors, with full-frame close-ups. This demands a heightened level of skill from the actors and they pull it off graciously and to good effect, enhancing the intensity of the characters, and allowing viewers to catch subtle nuances in ...