Bella on DVD
by Ted Slater on 05/13/2008 at 9:43 AM
I couldn't help but blog about Bella after seeing it in the theater.
Now that it's been released on DVD, I can't help but buy a copy of this remarkable film.
I wrote that "Bella will make you a better person." Candice wrote that it's "the message of the gospel wrapped beautifully, subtly in a story that will change you." This movie inspired my wife to write that "if we'll take our eyes off ourselves and our problems, focusing our attention on the needs of others, we may just start changing the world one heart at a time."
Dr. Dobson enjoyed it. Focus on the Family President Jim Daly loved it.
Bob Hoose and Steven Isaac of Plugged In Online concluded that "Bella is an unusually intelligent, humane film that reminds us how easy it is to impact one person's life—and perhaps save another's—simply by being sensitive to hurting people and carving out time to care. It is a tender tale of grace, faith, redemption and the sanctity of life...."
Rare is the movie that will make you a better person. Bella is among them.
1. Sam said the following at 10:53 AM on May 13:
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Watched it last night. I don't think I can tell you how much I loved this movie. It was beautiful and powerful. And Eduardo Verastegui, despite the massive beard, isn't too hard to look at for an hour and a half.
2. Sarah P. said the following at 1:24 PM on May 13:
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The power of beauty and truth is sometimes almost too much for me to bear. Bella shows what stories can do - they can wrench your heart open in such a way that it is impossible to close it again. The entire project is a love gift to the world, and I think somehow it conveys that without saying so.
3. Mallory said the following at 6:57 PM on May 13:
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Indeed in this society it is rare to view a wholesome film, Bella was just that. I loved it, it just shows that excellent stories and movies are possible without all the smut the world likes to add to them. I plan on spreading the word!
4. Esther said the following at 8:35 PM on May 13:
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Maybe I'm just not a great movie critic, but I found Bella a bit slow. I talked my Bible study into going with me, and while I was inclined (after all the praise here) to be positive, it was a bit of a disappointment. A little too slow and different, especially for my friends who weren't prepped for something so subtle. It was sweet, clean, and, well, slow. Maybe good for a quiet contemplative Sunday afternoon, but it didn't work for a girl's night out, that's all.
5. Sarah P. said the following at 7:27 AM on May 14:
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Ya, true, it is a bit slow, and it's different, which is good, because it makes you think. But that means that you need to save Bella until you are rested enough to think.
You wouldn't watch The Passion of the Christ for a girls' night out, either. :D
6. NSL said the following at 8:38 AM on May 14:
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I agree with Esther (#4) - the movie was sweet, but slow. I thought its use of time changes was a bit excessive.
7. IMO said the following at 9:03 AM on May 14:
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I rented the movie last night too. Unfortunetly I have to agree with Esther. My husband thought the movie was boring and gave it a 5 out of 10. And I really didn't want to agree with him...I really wanted to love the movie just like everybody else has!
8. Liz M. said the following at 2:00 PM on May 14:
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My roommate and her fiancee caught the last half of Bella as I watched it (for the second time) a few days ago. What disappointed them about the movie - lack of a clear-cut ending, not a lot of action or romance, contemplative or leisurely pace - are the same virtues that I find most refreshing, inspiring, and endearing. In the perfect Hollywood ending, Jose marries (or at least lives with) Nina, loses the beard he hides behind, and with Nina rediscovers his passion for soccer while raising a family together.
Life is not a Hollywood film. This movie captures so well the messy, gritty reality of living as sinners and sufferers and the redemptive consequences of common grace kindness shown in small, personal ways. We watch Jose live with hope and sacrificial love in the midst of his own heart-ache, and it reminds us that God calls us to love others out of our weakness and brokenness.
9. Jane2 said the following at 2:39 PM on May 14:
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Liz M., does it bother you that your roommate and her fiance didn't get the same things out of the movie? It kind of seems that way.
10. Tami said the following at 2:47 PM on May 14:
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Please... for the sake of us who are interested in the discussion but haven't seen the movie yet -- please refrain from sharing the end. :) Thanks!
11. Hali said the following at 8:46 PM on May 14:
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I looked forward to seeing the movie but I can't say I was really moved. It was wholesome but to me he was reaching this woman as a form of penance for his actions. That makes sense in this world but God teaches us about grace, and the main character doesn't seem to accept that for himself.