Bella is the kind of movie that grows on you. My initial impression was that the movie was ‘nice.’ There was something persistent in it, though, that kept the scenes running through my head. The more they did, the deeper my appreciation for the film grew. This film is composed of visually rich scenes and compelling vignettes which become all the more meaningful when contrasted with each other.
Nina, the central character in the film, just got a positive result from a pregnancy test. In her distress, she arrives late to work, for which she is fired. Jose, the chef (and brother of the owner), walks out the restaurant and the film portrays their day together.
For a movie dealing with abortion, arguably the single most politicized and contentious issue dividing the country, the film shows remarkable restraint and subtlety. While I don’t want to get into the issue of abortion per se, I will say that I greatly appreciated the fact that the film examined the issue artistically. That is, there is no sermonizing, lecturing, debating or moralizing in this movie. Rather, themes emerge through gentle conversation and imagery.
The strongest of those themes, which seems in this film to frame the issue of abortion itself, is relationships. New York is beautifully shot, but a certain undercurrent is also portrayed. People don’t or can’t connect with each other. Nina witnesses a disagreement between a store clerk and a customer which could have easily been resolved through a little empathy and calls it a “typical New York moment.” She later describes the city to a blind man, saying something along the lines of “everyone’s got something to do, not really paying attention to anyone else.” (I’m sure I got that quote wrong, but it’s along those lines.)
Indeed, everything that we discover about Nina indicates a tragic absence of authentic human relationship. Her father died when she was 12. After that, her mother devoted more time to the television than to Nina. She has no other family, and she reveals that she does not love her boyfriend. She is a woman profoundly alone in a sea of people. This loneliness seems to be a major factor in her initial decision in favor of an abortion.
Running contrary to this sense of isolation is her connection with Jose, who walks out on his job for the day simply because she needed someone to talk to and he was willing to be there for her. I get the impression this is the first time she has ever experienced this kind of selfless generosity. Jose’s family, of course, is presented as nearly paradisaical. Indeed, the first scene with his family has Nina joining Jose and his father to work in their garden – the garden imagery being a clear reference to the biblical Garden. (1) His family’s closeness and the warmth and generosity shown by his parents prompts Nina to remark on how lucky Jose is to have a family like this.
Of the imagery found in the film, food emerges as the most important. In this film, it is symbol of generosity and relationships. Jose’s brother and boss Mannie scolds Jose for preparing a fancy meal for the staff of the restaurant. During Mannie and Jose’s fight, it becomes clear that Mannie sees the staff only as employees, not as people. Jose’s nice meal for them, on the other hand, is a sign of his relationship with them. Later, Jose cooks Mannie a meal to make up from their fight, again using food to demonstrate his care for those around him.
The themes of relationships and family intersect with the imagery of food throughout the film, but never so clearly as the at the dinner with Jose’s family. It is first an expression of the closeness of the family itself. But it is also an expression of the family’s generosity extending beyond its bounds – embracing both Nina and the younger brother’s girlfriend. The fact that Nina is the cause of Jose and Mannie’s fight makes her warm reception into the family that much more touching.
There is more that could be said along these lines. While the film is rich in imagery and the vignettes are often touching, the film as whole is unfortunately somewhat choppy. Many scenes are shot with a shaky, hand-held camera. Perhaps this was intended to illustrate Nina’s internal turmoil, but for me it was mostly just irritating.
Beyond that, though, the portrayal of Nina and Jose’s day together somehow just doesn’t come together as a unified work of art. It strikes me as too episodic. An example is Jose’s encounter with an ex girlfriend. For the life of me, I can’t find a compelling reason to include that scene in the movie. Sure it offers a glimpse into his past life, etc., but we have already glimpsed that past.
Despite that, however, Bella is a beautiful movie. It is beautifully filmed (especially when the camera is still) and deals with beautiful themes: finding life, joy, and authentic relationships in the midst of tragedy and crisis.
