Bella

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Bella

PG-13

Released Oct 26, 2007

1h 31m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

45%

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64 Reviews

81%

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10,000+ Ratings

After Nina (Tammy Blanchard) is fired from her waitressing job for being late, she leans on the restaurant's chef, Jose (Eduardo Verástegui), for support. Though they don't know each other very well, Nina confides in Jose that she is pregnant and considering an abortion. Understanding that Nina is going through a tough time, Jose invites her to his home. They spend the day together and tell each other their most painful secrets, and what Nina learns about Jose changes her life forever.

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Critics Consensus

Critics labeled Bella as a simplistic and mostly pedestrian, but positive word of mouth gave this tiny indie surprising theatrical legs.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

The film is nicely shot in New York and subtitled "One moment can change your life forever". There's not a moment here likely to change ours.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 6, 2010

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Susan Walker

Toronto Star

This is not a weepy, but a story about healing, forgiveness and redemption.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 11, 2008

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

From the quiet performances to the sensitive direction, everything about this movie is convincing except the very story that drives it.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 10, 2008

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

On the strength of the performances alone, Bella garners a recommendation.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 2, 2020

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Shining its own special glow, BELLA is about family, friendship, tragedy, joy and the undeniable healing power of love and touches on the humanness and need in us all.

Nov 6, 2019

Full Review

Lucy Popescu

CineVue

What works well on television does not always translate well onto the big screen and, despite some arresting moments, for the most part I found Bella's cloying sentimentality a real turn-off.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 5, 2018

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Audience Member

This movie is a gem.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/31/24

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Michael L

Great movie go watch and experince real life issues and families. critics suck

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/30/24

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Shannara J

Way too artsy for my taste and terribly boring at the same time. Half the movie, I was going, "Huh? What is happening and why?" The other half, I felt exasperated with the cliches of what a typical Mexican family looks like and the wooden acting of the main characters. Plus, I didn't get the end... why didn't he just marry the girl, which is what she TOLD him she wanted and needed in order to raise a child? Instead, he adopted her child and about 6-8 years later, by the looks of the kid, she comes back and goes, "Do you know who I am?" So she basically abandoned her daughter to "find herself"? 'Cause why? It's not like she had a stellar career to look forward to... and even if she did, it would send the completely wrong message, namely that it's more important to follow your selfish impulses than to mother your own child if you had the choice. Unfortunately, I was at a friend's movie night watching this, so I couldn't just turn it off or walk out—which I definitely would've done if it had been up to me.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/22/23

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Christina B

perfect. it evokes emotions so powerfully

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/30/23

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James D

It was nice to watch a movie that was completely free of profanities and obscenities. The movie kept me guessing as to the outcome and by the end I could see how clever the director and writers were. Very good acting and as a Latino it was great to see Hispanics in a good light for a change.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/23

Full Review

Berto P

Wow! - what a little gem of a movie. Great acting, music, characters, and emotion. A feel good movie that you won't forget!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/06/23

Full Review

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Alejandro Gómez Monteverde

Director

Eduardo Verástegui

Jose

Tammy Blanchard

Nina

Manny Perez

Manny

Angélica Aragón

Mother

Jaime Tirelli

Father

Bella: Official Clip - Playing at the Beach

2:16

Bella: Official Clip - What Nina Wants

1:36

Bella: Official Clip - An Argument With the Boss

1:41

Bella: Official Clip - That's My Family

1:49

Bella: Official Clip - Meeting Bella

2:38

Bella: Official Clip - A Terrible Accident

2:13

Bella: Official Clip - Not Ready to Have a Kid

2:35

Bella: Official Clip - Nina's Pregnant

2:12

Bella: Official Clip - Fired for Being Late

2:05

Bella: Official Clip - Have You Thought About Adoption?

2:04

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Synopsis

After Nina (Tammy Blanchard) is fired from her waitressing job for being late, she leans on the restaurant's chef, Jose (Eduardo Verástegui), for support. Though they don't know each other very well, Nina confides in Jose that she is pregnant and considering an abortion. Understanding that Nina is going through a tough time, Jose invites her to his home. They spend the day together and tell each other their most painful secrets, and what Nina learns about Jose changes her life forever.

Director: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde
Producer: Alejandro Monteverde, Denise Pinckley, Leo Severino, Eduardo Verástegui, Sean Wolfington
Screenwriter: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde, Patrick Million, Leo Severino
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: The One Media, Metanoia Films, Burnside Entertainment , Mpower Pictures, Bella Production
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Brief Disturbing Images)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.1M
Runtime: 1h 31m

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