Bella (2006 Film)
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''Bella'' is a 2006 American
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
co-written, co-produced, and directed by
Alejandro Gómez Monteverde José Alejandro Gómez Monteverde (born 13 July 1977) is a Mexican filmmaker. His first film, ''Bella'', took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the "People's Choice Award". He also directed the films '' Sound ...
, starring Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard. Set in New York City, the film is about the events of one day and the impact on the characters' lives.


Plot

In New York City, José works as a cook in a Mexican restaurant owned by his stern chef brother, Manny. When the establishment is getting ready to open, Nina the waitress arrives late for the second day in a row and Manny fires her on the spot. As Nina leaves, she drops a teddy bear. José retrieves it and chases her into the subway to hand it back. When asked why she was late, she tells him she is pregnant and was ill from
morning sickness Morning sickness, also called nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), is a symptom of pregnancy. Despite the name, nausea or vomiting can occur at any time during the day. Typically the symptoms occur between the 4th and 16th weeks of pregnan ...
. José offers her a stroll around the city, which she accepts. He takes Nina to Manny's colleague's restaurant to recommend her for a waitressing position. While they dine to wait for the response, Nina tells him she does not intend to proceed with her pregnancy and is seriously considering an abortion partly because the father is uninterested in supporting her and she is broke. Nina agrees to go with him to the beach but José says he has to go back to the restaurant and get his wallet. When he returns, Manny rebukes him for flaking at work for Nina. After José argues with his brother over his oppressive demeanor, Manny fires him. José then boards a train with Nina to his home. During the trip he persuades Nina to give up the unborn child for adoption, but she argues in favor of abortion because she does not want to bring a child into this world that she is not prepared to love. José takes her to his parents' house and introduces her to his family. He takes Nina into the garage and shows her his old car which, a few years ago, he reveals he had been driving with his manager during the peak of his career as a soccer player, and accidentally hit and killed a little girl. His manager frantically suggested fleeing the crime, but he instead chose to take responsibility. José was then sentenced to four years in prison for
involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
. After being released, he tried unsuccessfully multiple times to reconcile with the girl's single mother, and the tragedy has since left him depressed and suicidal. José's parents invite Nina to have dinner, during which time she finds out that Manny was adopted. They tell her she is always welcome to stay at their house. José takes Nina to the nearby beach, where she tells him how her father's death when she was twelve caused her and her mother severe emotional pain. Because she had no siblings and spent her childhood taking care of her emotionally crippled mother, she tells José how fortunate he is to have a loving family, and hopes someday she would meet a man who loves her and is as capable of raising a family as her father was. The next day, before they each go their own way, Nina says she needs a friend to be there for her the next week. José walks back to the restaurant and reconciles with Manny. Several years later, José is seen playing on a beach with a young girl. When Nina arrives she meets what is implied to be her daughter, Bella, whom she had considered aborting but then gave over for José to adopt. Mother and daughter exchange gifts, Nina tearfully giving Bella the teddy bear her father had gifted her as a child, while Bella hands Nina a seashell. Afterward, all three stroll down the beach together.


Cast

* Eduardo Verástegui as José * Tammy Blanchard as Nina * Manny Pérez as Manny * Ali Landry as Celia * Ramón Rodríguez as Eduardo * Angélica Aragón as José's Mother * Ewa Da Cruz as Veronica * Alexa Gerasimovich as Luchi * Sophie Nyweide as Bella *
Herbie Lovelle Herbert Edward Lovelle (June 1, 1924 – April 8, 2009) was an American drummer, who played jazz, R&B, rock, and folk. He was also a studio musician and an actor. Biography Lovelle was born in New York City. His uncle was the drummer Arthur H ...
as The Blind Homeless Man


Production

''Bella'' marks the feature directorial debut for
Alejandro Gómez Monteverde José Alejandro Gómez Monteverde (born 13 July 1977) is a Mexican filmmaker. His first film, ''Bella'', took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the "People's Choice Award". He also directed the films '' Sound ...
, who co-wrote its original screenplay with Patrick Million. ''Bella'' features Manuel Pérez, Angélica Aragón, Jaime Terelli, Ali Landry and Ewa Da Cruz. The film was produced by Sean Wolfington, Eduardo Verástegui, Leo Severino,
Alejandro Gómez Monteverde José Alejandro Gómez Monteverde (born 13 July 1977) is a Mexican filmmaker. His first film, ''Bella'', took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the "People's Choice Award". He also directed the films '' Sound ...
, and Denise Pinckley. Executive producers were J. Eustace Wolfington, Sean Wolfington, Ana Wolfington and Stephen McEveety. It was financed by producers Sean Wolfington and Eustace Wolfington. Stephen McEveety, producer of ''
Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American epic film, epic historical drama, historical war drama film directed and produced by Mel Gibson, who portrays Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence against Edward I of Engl ...
'' and ''
The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Bl ...
'', consulted on the script; after the film was finished, he signed on as an executive producer to help market it. ''Bella'' is McEveety's first release under his new company Mpower Pictures. ''Bella'' was produced by Metanoia Films.
Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...
and
Roadside Attractions Roadside Attractions, LLC is an American independent production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded on July 27, 2000, by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff. Lionsgate Films Lionsgate Films (spelled as Lions ...
acquired United States distribution rights to the film and released it on October 26, 2007.


Reception

Robert Koehler of '' Variety'' wrote, "with its storyline based on such inexplicable behavior, ''Bella'' is seriously behind the dramatic eight ball, and trusts that the effective chemistry between the two leads will help auds ignore the many narrative potholes."
Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said in a less favorable review, "if ''Bella'' (the title doesn’t make sense until the last scene) is a mediocre cup of mush, the response to it suggests how desperate some people are for an urban fairy tale with a happy ending, no matter how ludicrous."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' gave the film 3 stars out of 4, describing it as: "a heart-tugger with the confidence not to tug too hard." He concluded his review by writing, "the movie is not profound, but it's not stupid. It's about lovable people having important conversations and is not pro-choice or pro-life but simply in favor of his erásteguifeelings -- and hers lanchard if she felt free to feel them. The movie is a little more lightweight than the usual People's Choice Awards winner at Toronto, but why not? It was the best-liked film at the 2006 festival, and I can understand that." ''Bella'' resonated with
adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...
and
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
organizations, who gave the movie high marks for its purported pro-adoption themes.


Awards and honors

''Bella'' won the
People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the Fan (person), fans and Public, general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined us ...
at the
2006 Toronto International Film Festival The 31st Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 7 to September 16, 2006. Opening the festival was Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn's '' The Journals of Knud Rasmussen'', a film that "explores the history of the through the eyes of ...
. Bella won the Heartland Film Festival's Grand Prize Award Winner for Best Dramatic Feature and the Crystal Heart Awards for Monteverde as writer/director/producer. ''Bella''s filmmakers received the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
's "Legacy Award" for the film's positive contribution to Latino art and culture. "This movie depicts the culture but also transcends it," said Pilar O'Leary, executive director of the Smithsonian Institution's Latino Center. "It has universal appeal."William Triplett (May 7, 2007).
Buoyant 'Bella' bow
''Variety''. Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
''Bella'' received the Tony Bennett Media Excellence Award. Bennett said ''Bella'' is "a perfect film, an artistic masterpiece that will live in people's hearts forever." ''Bella'' was listed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting on their list of the top ten films of 2007, noting that ''Bella'' presents an "affirmative pro-life message", along with "themes of self-forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption that should resonate deeply". The director of ''Bella'', Alejandro Monteverde, was given the " Outstanding American by Choice" Award at a
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
reception for ''Bellas positive contribution to Latino art and culture in the United States. Monteverde was also invited to join the First Lady
Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...
in her private box to watch the
State of the Union address The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condit ...
. The Mexican Embassy honored the film and gave ''Bella'' a screening at their annual Cinco De Mayo celebration. ''Bella'' broke the record for a Latino-themed film in total box office earnings and box office average per screen for films released in 2007. It was the top-rated movie on ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' Readers' Poll,
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and
Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...
. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' said ''Bella'' was "the fall's biggest surprise" and stated that "after only four weeks in release ''Bella'' has total sales of $5.2 million." ''Bella'' ended its U.S. theatrical release with more than $10 million in domestic box office, finishing the year in the top 10-grossing independent films of 2007.


Home media and adaptation

Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...
released a
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
version of ''Bella'' on May 6, 2008. The same date, Thomas Nelson published the
novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent ...
of the film, written by Lisa Samson. ()


References

''This article incorporates text fro
the official site
licensed under
GNU Free Documentation license The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or GFDL) is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights ...
.''


External links

* * * *
''Bella'' at Yahoo Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bella (Film) 2006 films 2006 directorial debut films 2006 drama films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s pregnancy films American drama films American pregnancy films English-language drama films Films about abortion in the United States Films about adoption Films directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Roadside Attractions films Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award winners