We saw an incredible movie this weekend. Bella is the story of a young woman who finds herself alone and pregnant and the man who risks his relationship with his brother to be her friend. It is a movie that celebrates life and love, family and friendship. It is real and emotionally powerful—and subtle.
Yes, subtle.
As I writer, I strive for this—to tell the story and let my audience connect the dots to discover the greater, overarching truths the story illustrates. The writer and director of this movie managed this superbly. They told a compelling story that drives home the sanctity of life without using any of the buzz words generally associated with such a theme.
But the subtlety of its theme isn’t the only reason I enjoyed this movie. Its excellence extended to every aspect of the film—the writing, the directing, the acting. Nothing second-rate or hokey about this film and frankly, you can’t say that about very many movies these days. Oh, and did I mention that there are no offensive scenes or language? Yet the feel of reality is all over this film. I assume it garnered the PG-13 rating because of the thematic elements.
This movie is the first offering from new production company Metanoia, whose mission statement declares they desire “to make movies that matter and have the potential to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.” I’m already looking forward to seeing what they come up with next!
I just tried adding it to my Blockbuster account, but they didn’t have it. From where did you rent it?
Sorry to leave out that information! It is in limited release in theatres right now.
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be on the lookout for Bella in a theater here.
Subtle. That’s what I like too. It is hard to find and harder to achieve in one’s own writing. Revision, I believe, is one of the great keys to subtlety. We trim away, and trim away, and scratch and hone. The rough edges, the big loud stuff falls aside. And there we have it. A subtle, beautiful thing.