Emotion is rife in Bella as the story unfolds.
Herald rating: * * *
Cast: Eduardo Verastegui, Tammy Blanchard, Manny Perez
Director: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Running time: 91 minutes
Rating: PG, adult themes
Screening: Rialto
Verdict: A slight, urban fairytale driven more by the heart than the head, but the acting is spot
on.
If you're the kind who never cries in movies and can't stand movies that people cry in, you may not be won over by this urban fairy tale, which is driven much more by its heart than its head.
It doesn't so much flirt with the sentimental as have a torrid affair with it, and some of what happens at the end makes neither emotional nor narrative sense. But it is sustained by a performance of heartbreaking emotional authenticity from Blanchard, who burns up the screen with her presence.
In her first feature lead role, she plays Nina, a waitress in the New York City Mexican restaurant of the uptight martinet bully Manny (Perez).
Manny's brother Jose (Verastegui), who works as a chef in the same restaurant, is a former soccer star whose life is blighted by a shocking event that we can see coming from the third minute, even if it's not spelt out until the 60th.
When Nina, late for work, is summarily sacked by Manny, Jose impetuously follows her as she leaves and what unfolds is one of those life-transforming stories that will set hardened cynics grinding their teeth.
The two, who go to visit Jose's parents, make an odd couple - she in her garish waitress' dress, he in his kitchen whites - but as each opens up to the other a sort of alchemy happens, though it is not until the end that we completely understand the significance of the title.
Nothing much happens for much of a storyline that feels slightly film school at times, but Blanchard, a dead ringer for Hilary Swank, takes the breath away. The camera loves her slightly awkward charm, and she gives us instant easy access to what's happening with her character. Verastegui is impressive too in a handsome, hirsute Latin sort of way, but he almost disappears in the light that Blanchard radiates.
The closing minutes - and particularly the final scene - are a bit glib for comfort, but the film as a whole is much more than moderately charming.
