NO SPOILERS UNTIL ENDING - HAS A WARNING
The majority of 'Bella' is a fabulously written, well acted, film that effortlessly draws the audience into caring about the 2 main characters - Nina & Jose (Blanchard & Verástegui). The problem is the ending that manages to be confusing, negate a supposed budding connection between the 2 leads and just creates an overall unbelievable conclusion that takes away from the rest of the film.
Bella is the story of Nina, a waitress at a Mexican restaurant who is laid off by the owner, Manny after arriving to work late for a 3rd time (3 strikes and you are out) and Manny's brother, Jose, who is the head chef at the restaurant, who runs after Nina, having compassion for her plight. Nina reveals to Jose that she is pregnant, has been having morning sickness which was why she has been late for work and with the news, Jose decides to ditch his job and his brother to spend the day with Nina. It is also revealed that Nina doesn't plan on carrying the baby to term but would rather opt for an abortion since she is not ready to raise a child on her own and the Father wants nothing to do with it.
Until the ending, Bella is a movie that takes place over the span of 2 days, not including flashbacks - it follows Nina and Jose as they spend the day around New York City, at Jose's childhood home with his family and then at the beach - returning back to the City the next day. It is an exploration about each character, about his/her past and about his/her future - as they share with one another details about their lives and form a bond through the pain of their pasts.
Jose was a promising soccer star who, after an accident, never played again and is haunted by the tragedy that ended it all whereas Nina's Father died when she was younger, something her Mother never stopped grieving over and as a result, pushed her daughter away ruining their relationship forever.
I found it very easy to get lost in the characters. I cared about Nina. I cared about Jose and I was endeared by their growing connection with each other. If not for the horrendous, disjointed, nonsensical ending, I would have easily rated Bella a 9/10.
SPOILER WARNING
The ending. That is where this film failed miserably. Throughout the movie, it is made clear that the main reason why Nina doesn't want to have the baby is because she doesn't want to be a single Mother, isn't ready to care for a child financially by herself and doesn't have a steady man to provide and care for them both.
The ending of this movie wants us to believe that Nina carried her child to term.. and assumingly bonded with Jose for another 8-9 months and then birthed Bella, walked away from her and essentially Jose and left him and his family to raise her child? Huh?
Nina and Jose connected with each other intensely in the span of 2 days during the movie - is it really believable that after another 8-9 months of him by her side, being a shoulder for her to cry on & someone to care about her that nothing romantic would have formed between them? Isn't this movie supposed to be a romance/love story? Wasn't Nina's main issue that she didn't want to raise the baby on her own? That she didn't want the child to be a burden for whatever man she eventually found in her life? Jose was willing, ready and able to care for Bella so why not raise Bella with Jose as a family? She found a man that wanted to care for and provide for her child so why the heck did she essentially give birth to the baby girl and then disappear from her life for 5 years? That was just ridiculous and not realistic at all. Jose's family home was a mere train ride away and yet we are to believe that she never visited her own child for 5 years? Clearly she wasn't visiting at all or else Nina wouldn't have been worried that Bella didn't know who she was. Just bad. Utterly bad and it negates any bond that we saw being formed between Nina/Jose throughout the movie since apparently a whole pregnancy later and she was able to just walk away from him and her child.
So 7/10 is my overall rating.
The majority of 'Bella' is a fabulously written, well acted, film that effortlessly draws the audience into caring about the 2 main characters - Nina & Jose (Blanchard & Verástegui). The problem is the ending that manages to be confusing, negate a supposed budding connection between the 2 leads and just creates an overall unbelievable conclusion that takes away from the rest of the film.
Bella is the story of Nina, a waitress at a Mexican restaurant who is laid off by the owner, Manny after arriving to work late for a 3rd time (3 strikes and you are out) and Manny's brother, Jose, who is the head chef at the restaurant, who runs after Nina, having compassion for her plight. Nina reveals to Jose that she is pregnant, has been having morning sickness which was why she has been late for work and with the news, Jose decides to ditch his job and his brother to spend the day with Nina. It is also revealed that Nina doesn't plan on carrying the baby to term but would rather opt for an abortion since she is not ready to raise a child on her own and the Father wants nothing to do with it.
Until the ending, Bella is a movie that takes place over the span of 2 days, not including flashbacks - it follows Nina and Jose as they spend the day around New York City, at Jose's childhood home with his family and then at the beach - returning back to the City the next day. It is an exploration about each character, about his/her past and about his/her future - as they share with one another details about their lives and form a bond through the pain of their pasts.
Jose was a promising soccer star who, after an accident, never played again and is haunted by the tragedy that ended it all whereas Nina's Father died when she was younger, something her Mother never stopped grieving over and as a result, pushed her daughter away ruining their relationship forever.
I found it very easy to get lost in the characters. I cared about Nina. I cared about Jose and I was endeared by their growing connection with each other. If not for the horrendous, disjointed, nonsensical ending, I would have easily rated Bella a 9/10.
SPOILER WARNING
The ending. That is where this film failed miserably. Throughout the movie, it is made clear that the main reason why Nina doesn't want to have the baby is because she doesn't want to be a single Mother, isn't ready to care for a child financially by herself and doesn't have a steady man to provide and care for them both.
The ending of this movie wants us to believe that Nina carried her child to term.. and assumingly bonded with Jose for another 8-9 months and then birthed Bella, walked away from her and essentially Jose and left him and his family to raise her child? Huh?
Nina and Jose connected with each other intensely in the span of 2 days during the movie - is it really believable that after another 8-9 months of him by her side, being a shoulder for her to cry on & someone to care about her that nothing romantic would have formed between them? Isn't this movie supposed to be a romance/love story? Wasn't Nina's main issue that she didn't want to raise the baby on her own? That she didn't want the child to be a burden for whatever man she eventually found in her life? Jose was willing, ready and able to care for Bella so why not raise Bella with Jose as a family? She found a man that wanted to care for and provide for her child so why the heck did she essentially give birth to the baby girl and then disappear from her life for 5 years? That was just ridiculous and not realistic at all. Jose's family home was a mere train ride away and yet we are to believe that she never visited her own child for 5 years? Clearly she wasn't visiting at all or else Nina wouldn't have been worried that Bella didn't know who she was. Just bad. Utterly bad and it negates any bond that we saw being formed between Nina/Jose throughout the movie since apparently a whole pregnancy later and she was able to just walk away from him and her child.
So 7/10 is my overall rating.