Bella (film)
Encyclopedia
Bella is a 2006 film directed by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
starring Eduardo Verastegui
and Tammy Blanchard
. Set in New York City, the film is about the events of one day and the impact on the characters' lives.
The kitchen of a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan is getting ready for the noon rush. Nina arrives late for the second day in a row. Manny, the restaurant owner and Jose's brother, fires her.
As Nina leaves, José follows her outside. She tells him she is pregnant but says she is not ready for a baby and is seriously considering abortion. He takes her to his parents' house and tells her that a few years ago he had been driving a car when he accidentally hit and killed a little girl. He was sentenced to four years in prison. After being released, he tried unsuccessfully multiple times to get in touch with the girl's mother.
José and Nina have dinner at his parents' house during which Nina finds out that Manny was adopted. José's parents tell Nina she is always welcome to stay at their house. José takes Nina to the beach, which is near the house. Nina tells José of how her father's death when she was twelve caused her and her mother severe emotional pain. Since Nina had no siblings and spent her childhood taking care of her emotionally crippled mother, she tells José how fortunate he is to have a loving family. The next day, before they each go their own way, Nina says she needs a friend to go with her to the abortion clinic.
José walks back to the restaurant and reconciles with Manny.
Several years later, José is playing on a beach with a young girl, Bella, Nina's daughter and José's adopted daughter. Nina pulls up in a taxi and meets Bella for the first time. The two exchange gifts. The movie ends as Nina, Bella, and José walk down the beach together.
, who co-wrote its original screenplay with Patrick Million. Bella features Manuel Perez
, Angelica Aragon
, Jaime Terelli, Ali Landry
and Ewa Da Cruz
. The film was produced by Sean Wolfington, Eduardo Verastegui
, Leo Severino, Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
, Denise Pinckley and Jason Jones. Executive producers were J. Eustace Wolfington, Sean Wolfington, Ana Wolfington and Stephen McEveety
. It was financed by producers Sean Wolfington and Eustace Wolfington.
Stephen McEveety, producer of Braveheart
and The Passion of the Christ
, consulted on the script; after the film was finished, he signed on as an executive producer to help market it. Bella is McEveety's first release under his new company Mpower Pictures
.
Bella was produced by Metanoia Films. Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions
acquired United States distribution rights to the film and released the film on October 26, 2007, according to The Hollywood Reporter
.
and 47 at Metacritic
but fared better with audiences, winning the Golden Tomato award from Rotten Tomatoes with a user rating of 96.5, the highest of any film released in 2007.
Bella resonated with adoption
and pro-life
organizations, who gave the movie high marks for its pro-adoption themes.
.
Bella won the Heartland Film Festival
's Grand Prize Award Winner for Best Dramatic Feature and the Crystal Heart Awards for Monteverde as writer/director/producer.
Bellas filmmakers received the Smithsonian Institution
's "Legacy Award" for the film's positive contribution to Latino art and culture. "This movie depicts the culture but also transcends it," said Pilar O'Leary, executive director of the Smithsonian Institution's Latino Center. "It has universal appeal."
Bella received the Tony Bennett Media Excellence Award. Bennett said Bella is "a perfect film, an artistic masterpiece that will live in people's hearts forever."
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting
rated Bella as the second-best film of 2007 (with Juno
) noting that Bella presents an "affirmative pro-life message," along with "themes of self-forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption that should resonate deeply."
The director of the Department of Citizenship gave the director of Bella, Alejandro Monteverde, the "American by Choice" Award at a White House
reception for Bellas positive contribution to Latino art and culture in the United States. Monteverde was also invited to join the First Lady
Laura Bush
in her private box to watch the State of the Union address
.
The Mexican Embassy honored the film and gave Bella a screening at their annual Cinco De Mayo celebration.
Bella broke the record for a Latino-themed film in total box office earnings and box office average per screen for films released in 2007. It was the top-rated movie on the New York Times Readers' Poll, Yahoo and Fandango
. The Wall Street Journal said Bella was "the fall's biggest surprise" and stated that "after only four weeks in release Bella has total sales of $5.2 million." Bella ended its U.S. theatrical release with more than $10 million in domestic box office, finishing the year in the top 10-grossing independent films of 2007.
Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Jose Alejandro Gomez Monteverde is a Mexican film director. His first film, Bella took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the “People's Choice Award”....
starring Eduardo Verastegui
Eduardo Verástegui
Eduardo Verástegui is a Mexican model, singer, and actor.- Biography :Verástegui was born in Mante, Tamaulipas, México and was raised as a devout Roman Catholic. He moved to Mexico City to pursue modeling, landing work with Calvin Klein among others...
and Tammy Blanchard
Tammy Blanchard
Tammy Blanchard is an American actress. She has worked primarily in films and television, making her professional start in the soap opera Guiding Light...
. Set in New York City, the film is about the events of one day and the impact on the characters' lives.
Plot
Bella tells the story of Nina, a New York City waitress, and her co-worker José, a cook.The kitchen of a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan is getting ready for the noon rush. Nina arrives late for the second day in a row. Manny, the restaurant owner and Jose's brother, fires her.
As Nina leaves, José follows her outside. She tells him she is pregnant but says she is not ready for a baby and is seriously considering abortion. He takes her to his parents' house and tells her that a few years ago he had been driving a car when he accidentally hit and killed a little girl. He was sentenced to four years in prison. After being released, he tried unsuccessfully multiple times to get in touch with the girl's mother.
José and Nina have dinner at his parents' house during which Nina finds out that Manny was adopted. José's parents tell Nina she is always welcome to stay at their house. José takes Nina to the beach, which is near the house. Nina tells José of how her father's death when she was twelve caused her and her mother severe emotional pain. Since Nina had no siblings and spent her childhood taking care of her emotionally crippled mother, she tells José how fortunate he is to have a loving family. The next day, before they each go their own way, Nina says she needs a friend to go with her to the abortion clinic.
José walks back to the restaurant and reconciles with Manny.
Several years later, José is playing on a beach with a young girl, Bella, Nina's daughter and José's adopted daughter. Nina pulls up in a taxi and meets Bella for the first time. The two exchange gifts. The movie ends as Nina, Bella, and José walk down the beach together.
Production
Bella marks the feature directorial debut for Alejandro Gomez MonteverdeAlejandro Gomez Monteverde
Jose Alejandro Gomez Monteverde is a Mexican film director. His first film, Bella took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the “People's Choice Award”....
, who co-wrote its original screenplay with Patrick Million. Bella features Manuel Perez
Manuel Perez
Manuel Perez may refer to:*Manuel Perez , Boxing Prospect in the Lightweight division*Manuel Perez , California State Assemblyman, 80th District*Manuel Pérez , President of Nicaragua 1843-1844...
, Angelica Aragon
Angélica Aragón
Angélica Aragón is a Mexican actress of telenovelas and such films as Dune, A Walk in the Clouds, Bella, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Vivir un poco, Mirada de mujer, Novia que te vea, and the blockbuster film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.-Early life:Aragón was born Angélica Espinoza Stransky in Mexico...
, Jaime Terelli, Ali Landry
Ali Landry
Ali Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
and Ewa Da Cruz
Ewa Da Cruz
Ewa Da Cruz also known as Ewa Skulstad or Ewa Benedicte Övre Skulstad, is a television, soap opera and film actress. Da Cruz is best known for her portrayal of the high-roller heiress Vienna Hyatt on As the World Turns, CBS....
. The film was produced by Sean Wolfington, Eduardo Verastegui
Eduardo Verástegui
Eduardo Verástegui is a Mexican model, singer, and actor.- Biography :Verástegui was born in Mante, Tamaulipas, México and was raised as a devout Roman Catholic. He moved to Mexico City to pursue modeling, landing work with Calvin Klein among others...
, Leo Severino, Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Jose Alejandro Gomez Monteverde is a Mexican film director. His first film, Bella took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the “People's Choice Award”....
, Denise Pinckley and Jason Jones. Executive producers were J. Eustace Wolfington, Sean Wolfington, Ana Wolfington and Stephen McEveety
Stephen McEveety
Stephen "Steve" McEveety is an American film producer. The son of Joseph McEveety, and nephew of Bernard McEveety and Vincent McEveety, Hollywood film directors/producers, he has over 30 years experience in senior positions in the entertainment industry....
. It was financed by producers Sean Wolfington and Eustace Wolfington.
Stephen McEveety, producer of Braveheart
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
and The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
, consulted on the script; after the film was finished, he signed on as an executive producer to help market it. Bella is McEveety's first release under his new company Mpower Pictures
Mpower Pictures
Mpower Pictures is the production company of David Segel, Stephen McEveety, John Shepherd , and Todd Matthew Burns.Mpower Pictures was launched with Bella , winner of the Toronto Film Festival People's Choice Award, produced in association with Metanoia Films.Since then, Mpower Pictures has...
.
Bella was produced by Metanoia Films. Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions
Roadside Attractions
Roadside Attractions is a US film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2003, specializing largely in independent films.Lionsgate bought a partial stake in Roadside in 2007.-List of films released by Roadside Attractions:...
acquired United States distribution rights to the film and released the film on October 26, 2007, according to The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
.
Reception
The film received mixed critical reviews, scoring 46% at review site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and 47 at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
but fared better with audiences, winning the Golden Tomato award from Rotten Tomatoes with a user rating of 96.5, the highest of any film released in 2007.
Bella resonated with adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
and pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
organizations, who gave the movie high marks for its pro-adoption themes.
Awards and honors
Bella took the "People's Choice Award" at the 2006 Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
.
Bella won the Heartland Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival
The Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
's Grand Prize Award Winner for Best Dramatic Feature and the Crystal Heart Awards for Monteverde as writer/director/producer.
Bellas filmmakers received the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's "Legacy Award" for the film's positive contribution to Latino art and culture. "This movie depicts the culture but also transcends it," said Pilar O'Leary, executive director of the Smithsonian Institution's Latino Center. "It has universal appeal."
Bella received the Tony Bennett Media Excellence Award. Bennett said Bella is "a perfect film, an artistic masterpiece that will live in people's hearts forever."
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting is an office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and is best known for the USCCB film rating, a continuation of the National Legion of Decency rating system begun in 1933 by Archbishop of Cincinnati John T...
rated Bella as the second-best film of 2007 (with Juno
Juno (film)
Juno is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her. Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, J. K....
) noting that Bella presents an "affirmative pro-life message," along with "themes of self-forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption that should resonate deeply."
The director of the Department of Citizenship gave the director of Bella, Alejandro Monteverde, the "American by Choice" Award at a White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
reception for Bellas positive contribution to Latino art and culture in the United States. Monteverde was also invited to join the First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
in her private box to watch the State of the Union address
State of the Union Address
The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and his national priorities.The practice arises...
.
The Mexican Embassy honored the film and gave Bella a screening at their annual Cinco De Mayo celebration.
Bella broke the record for a Latino-themed film in total box office earnings and box office average per screen for films released in 2007. It was the top-rated movie on the New York Times Readers' Poll, Yahoo and Fandango
Fandango (ticket service)
Fandango is a corporation in the United States that sells movie tickets over the telephone and Internet, enabling customers to ensure ticket availability and avoid lines at the movie theater.-Services:...
. The Wall Street Journal said Bella was "the fall's biggest surprise" and stated that "after only four weeks in release Bella has total sales of $5.2 million." Bella ended its U.S. theatrical release with more than $10 million in domestic box office, finishing the year in the top 10-grossing independent films of 2007.
Cast
- Eduardo VerásteguiEduardo VerásteguiEduardo Verástegui is a Mexican model, singer, and actor.- Biography :Verástegui was born in Mante, Tamaulipas, México and was raised as a devout Roman Catholic. He moved to Mexico City to pursue modeling, landing work with Calvin Klein among others...
as José - Tammy BlanchardTammy BlanchardTammy Blanchard is an American actress. She has worked primarily in films and television, making her professional start in the soap opera Guiding Light...
as Nina - Manny PerezManny PerezManuel "Manny" Pérez Batista is a Dominican actor, who has appeared in the television series Third Watch and in the film Washington Heights. Pérez was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and currently resides in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood.Pérez is one of 11 siblings...
as Manny - Ali LandryAli LandryAli Germaine Landry is a former Miss USA , model and actress. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, and for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.-...
as Celia - Ramón Rodríguez as Eduardo
- Angélica AragónAngélica AragónAngélica Aragón is a Mexican actress of telenovelas and such films as Dune, A Walk in the Clouds, Bella, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Vivir un poco, Mirada de mujer, Novia que te vea, and the blockbuster film Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.-Early life:Aragón was born Angélica Espinoza Stransky in Mexico...
as José's mother - Ewa Da CruzEwa Da CruzEwa Da Cruz also known as Ewa Skulstad or Ewa Benedicte Övre Skulstad, is a television, soap opera and film actress. Da Cruz is best known for her portrayal of the high-roller heiress Vienna Hyatt on As the World Turns, CBS....
as Veronica - Alexa GerasimovichAlexa GerasimovichAlexa Veronica Gerasimovich is an American child actress. She is most famous for her role in the soap opera All My Children as Kathy Mershon.-Life and career:...
as Luchi - Sophie NyweideSophie NyweideSophie Nyweide is a child actress. She is best known for her roles in Bella, Mammoth and the lead child role in An Invisible Sign.-Career:...
as Bella - Herbie LovelleHerbie LovelleHerbie or Herb Lovelle was a versatile American drummer, who played Jazz, R & B, rock and folk. He was also a studio musician and an actor.Lovelle's uncle was drummer Arthur Herbert...
plays as a blind homeless person