Bella

I watched Bella last night. (Of course, it was late and I was tired, so I finished watching it this morning.) Before I started typing this, I had to look up the meaning of heart-warming. I have heard the term a lot, and I had a feeling that it was the perfect term to describe Bella. According to thefreedictionary.com, it was the right term. It is an adjective meaning, "inspiring feelings of happiness." Plugged In Online (I don't recommend reading their review before you watch the movie, because part of it is a major spoiler, but if you can read around that, check it out) begins their review describing the movie:

"The name Bella means beautiful. And it's a word that does not in any way apply to Jose or his life when we first meet him. Scruffy and forlorn, Jose hasn't been the same since a tragic accident ended his promising soccer career. Now he's the head chef at his brother's fancy restaurant. People worry about Jose. Working at that same restaurant is a young, unmarried woman named Nina who does not want to be pregnant. But she is. And her morning sickness and late arrivals get her fired. No one worries about Nina—except Jose. Jose is drawn to the troubled woman and offers his help. She's suspicious of his intentions at first, but her situation and his quiet persistence motivate her to accept the proffered friendship. Still, she brushes off his gentle encouragement to let her baby live. Nina has come to the conclusion that if her life is ever going to be normal again she must abort her little girl. This artistically low-key yet emotionally complex and compelling story focuses on two friends—one damaged by the past and the other afraid of the future—who help each other make a pair of life-changing choices."

This movie is incredibly real. The story is believable. You wish you could be there with Nina and Jose as they are going along their journey. It's amazingly honest. It doesn't shy away from anything. And yet it gets its point across without the use of swear words and other vulgarities. You walk away from the film realizing the life is beautiful. You learn more about the characters throughout the movie, which makes them all the more real. Your heart will break with Jose and you will want to just hug Nina (even if you aren't a hugger, like me).

I really would say more about the movie, but I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it. I do really recommend it. It's a heart-warming movie that touches you. Someone said that it kind of jumps around a lot, and it does jump. The movie, however, is still easy to follow. Perhaps even shows more about the mind. And with the lower and lower average attention span, I could follow it quite well. People struggle and feel pain, and this movie expresses that. It is rated PG-13, and I am not sure children would really understand everything going on. As for the rating being because of "for thematic elements and brief disturbing images," I guess I didn't really agree. I am not sure what was at all disturbing, so I don't think that is any reason for you not to watch this film. I highly recommend this movie. You will enjoy it, I promise. I actually am going to watch it again with my mother sometime. Buy it, rent it, borrow it. Just watch it. Without sounding too cliche, this is one movie you want to see.

Check this out, too.

Jose: My grandmother used to say, "You want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans."