Spoiler alert.
I believe that Bella is meant to be a touching story about family, relationship, responsibility and perhaps race and love. However, the film didn't get there. In fact, there are a couple of strange nuances which I find difficult to understand. The biggest of all is Nina's decision of not aborting her pregnancy but leaving her to Jose - why??? I thought she was cool about having the child. And then why bother going back to see her child years later if she had decided not to raise her? I don't think I feel that sympathetic to her cause.
Also, the relationship between Nina and Jose is really a puzzle. Good friends? Soulmates? Near-lovers? Or what? The film may not be focusing on this but the story was allowed to evolve to this ambiguity without giving it a satisfactory close.
Bella simply didn't give me the warmth that the director apparently had tried hard to deliver. It's that kind of movie that leave you with a lot of questions, which popped up and then lost in the weak story development.
I believe that Bella is meant to be a touching story about family, relationship, responsibility and perhaps race and love. However, the film didn't get there. In fact, there are a couple of strange nuances which I find difficult to understand. The biggest of all is Nina's decision of not aborting her pregnancy but leaving her to Jose - why??? I thought she was cool about having the child. And then why bother going back to see her child years later if she had decided not to raise her? I don't think I feel that sympathetic to her cause.
Also, the relationship between Nina and Jose is really a puzzle. Good friends? Soulmates? Near-lovers? Or what? The film may not be focusing on this but the story was allowed to evolve to this ambiguity without giving it a satisfactory close.
Bella simply didn't give me the warmth that the director apparently had tried hard to deliver. It's that kind of movie that leave you with a lot of questions, which popped up and then lost in the weak story development.