Violence/gore: 4
Sex: .5
Language: .5
Would you believe your ears if someone told you this? A former star of Mexican soap operas, screamed over by teenage girls, became a devout Catholic, renounced his racier roles, and declared that the next woman he kissed would be his wife. He proceeded to co-produce and star in a beautiful movie that tackles issues like abortion and broken families with sensitivity and compassion, and caps it all off by showing how true love goes further than romance, and powerfully affirming the sanctity of life.
It sounds too good to be true. At least until Eduardo Verastegui walked away from a promising career of Hollywood stardom and acted in Bella.
In this film, Verastegui's character is Jose; formerly a star soccer player, he is now the head chef at his brother Manny's New York restaurant. He is tormented by some terrible event in his past, which was the reason his promising soccer career ended. Nina is a waitress at the same restaurant, whom Manny fires when she shows up late for work three days in a row. Jose feels compassion for her, and discovers that she is actually pregnant (and unmarried), and automatically assuming that she will abort the child. Jose leaves his job for the day and accompanies Nina on a day-long trip that will deeply affect both their lives as he comes to terms with his past, and she with her future.
From here, I think that all I can do is categorize the many things that make this movie so laudable. In the first place, it speaks a powerful pro-life message in a medium where such a sentiment is almost unheard-of, and it does so with compassion, but also with great confidence and hope. In the second place, it shows a loving, caring, joyful family that sticks close together, acts hospitably toward everyone, and displays not the slightest racial prejudice. The movie is also beautifully filmed and features some very talented actors, few if any of whom are big-name stars. Another reviewer commented on how expressively the actors use their faces, and I agree. And, the movie manages to be realistic without any cussing or even so much as a kiss.
I hesitate to delve into further detail, lest I spoil this wonderful film for you. It's not perfect in all aspects, but it is a professionally executed, aesthetically pleasing, morally sound film that reflects Christian values and was made by a group of courageous Christian men in defiance of the often corrupt standards of Hollywood. As such, I think it's very important for Christians to turn out to see this film, both for their own enjoyment and to show their support of what Verastegui and his friends are doing. It will not be in theaters much longer, so if you can, find one and attend it quickly. If that proves impossible, be sure to rent or buy it when it comes out on DVD!
Detailed cautions: One character in this film becomes involved in a fatal accident (the accident itself, though it reveals very little, is quite intense because of the prior setup and our investment in the characters involved), and we briefly see this character lying on the ground, and later, a brief shot of her bloody back. There is also an outburst of intense, realistic, and poignant grief during this scene that might disturb some younger children. One character holds a hand over a stove flame for several seconds out of shame and penitence for a past action; we see his hand quivering and a raw mark begin to appear before he quickly withdraws it.
The main reason I gave this film any rating whatsoever for sex is because of the thematic element of an unmarried woman discovering that she is pregnant. There are no explicit scenes of any kind, shown or assumed, in the course of the film. There is no suggestive clothing, body language, or conversation. One man and woman snuggle close to each other while they are lying on a blanket in the beach, out of a kind of friendly intimacy or search for warmth (or both); it is obvious that they do not sleep together.
Gosh and jerk are the only exclamations I can think of in this film, and these are infrequent.
~Connor