Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Dale Haufrect "Bella" is an emotional film from 2006. It is currently available on NetFlix Instant Download Streaming. The director is Alejandro Montevverde. The writers are Alejandro Monteverde and Patrick Million. The cast includes Eduardo Verastegui as Jose, Tammy Blanchard as Nina, Manny Perez a Manny, Angelica Aragon, Jaime Tirelli, Ramon Rodriguez, Amando Riesco, Sophie Nyweide, Ali Landry, Ewq Da Cruz, Alexa Gerasimovich, Herb Lovelle, Tawny Cypress, Doug DeBeech, Nichael Mosley, Dominic Colon, David Castro, Wade Mylius, Michael Chin, Marilyn Torres, Jim Stanek,Teresa Yenque, Sara Dawson, Jamie Schofield, Lukas Behnken, Melinda Peinado and Kola Ogundrian. The movie is a romantic drama that deepens with every minute of the show. It is warmhearted and well choreographed. I gave it 8 stars. Dale Haufrect

gman-91915 imagine watching the godfather and listening to sonny with a Scottish accent.. that is what you get from the father and younger brother's Puerto Rican accents of this Mexican family storyline. throw in the mothers peasant blouse costume and you have a really difficult time getting thru some of the most important scenes in this movie. I don't blame the actors or the storyline. the main characters do carry the movie, but these bad details really make it hard to stomach the lack of understanding of serious cultural differences and highlight their true lack of understanding. This makes it difficult to follow the story as the message seems to get lost in this complete lack of understanding of cultural understanding shines thru

MrConduct I'm a lover of most films and usually I'm not picky or critical, however, this movie was such a waste of time. The movie is about a former star soccer player who ends up being a chef who works at his brothers restaurant. We're not sure why things didn't work out as a soccer player, however, we get this impression, through his wilderness appearance and his annoying sombre persona, that it must have ended tragically, which it did. The story evolves into a relationship between the brother and a fired waitress from the restaurant. For some reason, he decides to leave the restaurant during dinner time and go to the beach with the waitress, who recently found out she was pregnant. They then take the train, go to his parents home, and wonder about aimlessly. All of a sudden, the movie fast forwards a few years and we're at the dramatic ending, which we're not sure how we got too. This rating is an insult to the great IMDb which is usually dead on with it's ratings, not here.

Marcin Kukuczka We often hear the notions that there is hardly anything like 'message' of a motion picture nowadays. Many modern films barely carry the role to uplift, to educate the viewers but they are rather meant to supply the viewers with sole entertainment. This minority of movies which aim at conveying some positive, universal messages to us seem to be neglected, ignored or labeled as 'kitschy.' Computerized effects, characters who seem to be deprived of basic humanity, robot-like creatures with no consideration of neither mind nor heart...too much of that! A question might arise: 'is anyone still capable of making a movie that speaks unto hearts?" If you consider such a question yourself, BELLA is truly a film from you.As a lovely contribution to the Latino art and culture, BELLA appears to be one of the most rewarding surprises for movie buffs. Alejandro Gomez Monteverde's directorial debut is a striking example of a new spirit on the screen - a refreshing, renewing spirit. But the film requires something more from you: to put aside all the expectations and stereotypes of what an interesting movie should be like. Just start to watch it with an open mind. That is what I have done recently. At first, I did not read anything about it and spontaneously wanted to enjoy one of those long winter evenings and soon realized that BELLA is a picture well worth viewing at multiple levels. The experience of mine is something I would like to share with you in this review. The creative collaboration between the Mexican born director Alejandro Monteverde and Patrick Million, Stephen Mc Eveety is noticeable throughout the film. This cinema revives its language to viewers and the script is highly worth attention. That is clearly one of the reasons why there are so many positive reactions of people who saw the film (many awards BELLA received include the Toronto International Film Festival - from "People Choice Award" - Heartland Film Festival, and the honor of the Mexican Embassy prove the undeniable need for, as many reviewers before me noted, some 'fresh air' on the screen. In what way is BELLA a refreshing production and an uplifting experience?BELLA is a seemingly simple story that becomes two-dimensional from the very beginning and beautiful details of character development lead us to the unforgettable climax; BELLA is a motivating and uplifting pro-life and pro-family tribute reaching its heights near the end when gifts are exchanged, the reconciliation is a reality and the smile at the door of future becomes symbolic; BELLA is a profound study of human life: human mistakes and justice, human fears and reliefs (the juxtaposition of the past and the present with the creative use of flashbacks makes certain aspects highlighted and, within the story, redeemed by the love of life); BELLA is generally a very optimistic movie where tears are always for some goodness, where tragedy and trauma can turn into bright future, where its beginning and its finale are truly thought provoking and unforgettable.BELLA can boast of some fabulous scenes and great reflective conclusions! The blind beggar and his conclusion about what it means to see...the seashell and the sound of waves...Nina and Jose's talk on the beach...Nina's visit to Jose's family... leave viewers stunned spiritually. One more thing to add in this context: BELLA opens with a wonderful narration and ends with a fabulous image that are linked together in a way --- that is another pearl of the screenplay.The performances are worth attention though there are no famous, top notch cast. Practically, there are three people who are at the center of attention: Tammy Blanchard as Nina, Eduardo Verástegui as Jose and Manny Perez as Manny. The interactions between them and the main ideas of the script are basically handled by the three and done so memorably. The less famous, the more convincing! This is one of such films where a famous face may disturb the basic experience because it is a story of simple people who live simple lives as we do. We empathize with them. No stars! No celebrities needed here! Among the young cast, I was stunned by Sophie Nyweide as the title character Bella. She appears in one scene...yet what a scene!The character development is nicely executed through a change of heart. There are, as a matter of fact, "two Joses" - one a light hearted young sportsman heading for individual success; the other an experienced man, an almost Christ-like figure whose eyes are filled with understanding love. The traumatic experience of Jose and his memories are cured by his acceptance of guilt and of helping others, loving others as a supreme cure. That appears to be the gist of the movie: no psychoanalytical treatment necessary but something at hand spiritually: this most pure, most genuine in human heart, human dreams: LOVE. Nina is a striking character who keeps this flame somewhere deep inside her, sometimes it is so unconscious in her decisions, sometimes so sympathetic. Women who are afraid to have babies should consider Nina's story. The actors make the finale so genuine and naturally tears are falling and there is something that truly uplifts you...Yes, BELLA is a must see for viewers of today's hard times where confusion seems to take over; BELLA is a beautiful childlike story that makes us hear the message whispered in the simplicity of a shell, that makes us see what others might find invisible; BELLA is one of these films that carry this unique power of art renewed and free of any Marxist ideology: the power to make you a better person, to make you appreciate the wonderfully unpredictable adventure that life is and remind new generations that the future of humanity lies within FAMILY that respects, awaits and welcomes life at its dawn.