BELLA

While in a metro ride to the beach, Nina, an unwed mother-to-be, asks, “Do you think people can live twice?”

Jose, the man seated next to her replies, “I haven’t ever met anyone who has.”

If anyone were to have good reason to hope for reincarnation, Jose would be that person. A former soccer star, one moment at the peak of his career brought about the death of the child. Since that moment, he has hidden from the world to deal with guilt and daily flashbacks alone.

If any lines could summarize the movie “Bella”, in my opinion, it would be those. Can anyone live twice? No; not lonely, hurting young women, not men who make tragic mistakes, and not aborted children. Life only happens once. This theme was woven throughout an artistic, thoroughly original film.

It wasn’t only “artistic” because half the movie was in subtitles. The story itself was written in such a unique way that it required an attentive audience. Unlike many Hollywood films, the plot didn’t fit together seamlessly like a puzzle. More in the style of classic literature, audience members were given credit for some level of intelligence by the filmmakers and had to pay attention to understand the conclusion.

Perhaps because of its lack of preachiness and use of subtlety, “Bella” has a chance to stir secular minds as well regarding pro-life issues. As it is, “Bella” stands as one of the few movies I’ve ever seen in which the audience broke into applause as the credits began to roll. After the film people crowded around the exit to discuss what they had just seen.

For a movie produced by “Metanoia Films” (“metanoia” means “repentance” in Greek), that is very encouraging.

How appropriate is "Bella" for general audiences?