Rama’s SCREEN

Indie movies usually have a way of surprising us. Some of the greatest nominees for best pictures in the past have been those made with low budget. That’s why when I heard about the movie Bella, which has been around for quite some time, I was half curious about what the story was all about. I said half because… I didn’t know what to expect so I chose not to get my hopes up. When I saw the trailer months ago, two things went through my mind: the main female star reminded me a lot of Hillary Swank and I wondered if this was a foreign language movie.

A soccer player with a bright future in a blink of an eye has all his plans shattered to pieces. A waitress struggling to make ends meet is faced with the biggest decision of her life. Their lives collide and a day is all it takes for them to figure things out and make things right.

BELLA is a story of two individuals carrying burdens so heavy they don’t know how to go on with their lives. Each of them made a mistake and all of sudden this huge guilt holds them back so they become clueless of what it is that they need to do to redeem themselves.

Most love stories we know would involve the hardship that comes from background differences of two people. Bella is pretty much the same but I think writer/director Alejandro Monteverde presented it in a way that’s not typical running on the sand or walking in the rain kind of romantic drama, instead he brings us the aspect of a culture, in this case it’s Mexican, and the healing power a family can have on those hurt by their past. The dialogue may not be quite powerful but it’s profound enough to engage the audience’s attention and it makes us understand what it is what the characters are going through.

The acting is brilliant and much props to the cinematographer that captures the flashback scene of the accident that makes us feel like we’re both the perpetrator and the victim. You’ll know what I mean when you see the film.
If you’re looking for a movie that deals with making critical choices of your life, then I definitely recommend this movies.

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