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AFI
Dallas International Film Festival
Sean
Wolfington, Executive Producer and Alejandro Gómez
Monteverde Director
AFI
Dallas movie review: Bella
Life is really, really hard; thank god it's so beautiful.
By John P. Meyer - Interview by Chad
Jones
Click
here to SEE
Director
Alejandro Gomez Monteverde wrote the script for his award-winning
feature film, Bella, while on sabbatical at Lake Tahoe.
Pretty plush digs for a guy who, only a couple of years
previously, was bunking in a mail room at the University
of Texas.
Alejandro
ended up sacking out in the mail room because - according
to executive producer Sean Wolfington, who introduced the
director to the packed AFI Dallas Film Festival audience
- he'd just turned down a lucrative film deal that was incompatible
with his artistic vision. Instead of taking the quick money,
he hunkered down and (presumably) lived on ramen noodles
until the chance came along to make the film he wanted to
make.
Which
it did, as soon as he hooked up with producer/co-writer
(and former Fox business affairs executive) Leo Severino.
Leo, after hearing the gist of the story treatment from
Alejandro, immediately introduced him to Philadelphia-based
entrepreneur and Metanoia Films partner Wolfington.
Regardless
of the details of this charming "artistic vision" backstory,
I will state for the record that the movie these guys made
will succeed without any such hype, because it's one of
those rare films that catches you by the emotional short
hairs and refuses to let go. By the time the final reel
plays, you're going to be weeping tears of commingled sadness
and joy - unless you happen to have blocked tear ducts.
(And, if you do, you might consider a viewing of this movie
as a possible cure.)
Bella
is really not so much a love story (in the sense of two
people falling head over heels) as it is a story about love
and how it can heal psychic wounds and enrich our lives.
The story centers around former soccer star Jose (played
by the charismatic and romance-novel hunky Eduardo Verástegui,
who is also a principal of Metanoia Films), whose career
is cut short by a tragic accident. Jose now works as head
chef for his hard-ass restaurant-owner brother, Manny (Manny
Perez), who knows exactly how to run a successful New York
eatery but can't tell you the first thing about the families,
dreams, hopes or aspirations of his employees.
One
of Manny's waitresses, Nina (Tammy Blanchard, in - go ahead
and quote me - a transcendent, Oscar-worthy performance),
has just discovered she's pregnant, and - due to morning
sickness - she shows up late for work. Since this is her
third such transgression (Manny's pretty strict about these
things), she's summarily fired.
Jose,
sensing a friend in need of help, bails from his chef shift
to follow Nina and offer whatever comfort his companionship
might provide. The remainder of the film chronicles Nina
and Jose's day together as they learn about each other through
the sharing of hopes, fears, and - most potently - pain.
They
hop a train at Penn Station and travel to the New Jersey
shoreline home of Jose's parents (Angélica Aragón and Jaime
Tirelli). There, Jose's other brother, Eduardo (Ramon Rodriguez)
is preparing to welcome his new girlfriend to dinner; he
enlists Jose's expert services in preparation of the meal.
Jose's
parents' welcoming embrace, along with Eduardo's irrepressible
enthusiasm for life, expose Nina to a side of family relationships
she's unfamiliar with. This exposure takes on heavy importance
in light of the decision she must make about her future.
The action is briskly paced, except where lingering is called
for. Styles of cinematography (jerky documentary; dolly-mounted
tracking; creatively angled placements) are thoughtfully
employed to advance the film's narrative structure. Some
of the full-frame close-ups approach the Sergio Leone level
of extremity, as if by closely examining a character's facial
nuance we may gain a magnified sense of their inner thoughts.
Funny: when talented actors face the camera, this seems
to work.
It
would be downright churlish for me to reveal anything more
of the plot, because it might lessen the impact for those
of you who intend to experience the film for yourselves
(it will premiere commercially right here in Big D sometime
in August). Suffice it to say that, by the time this deceptively
simple tale is fully told, we've come to understand that
the most powerful of miracles are those that come to us
most naturally, and that the contrast between what is and
what might have been hits home with the force of a cathartic
visceral punch.
The
credits rolled to an enthusiastic volley of applause (and
not a few throat-clearings), following which Mr. Monteverde
took the stage for a brief Q/A session. While he assured
us that no substantive content changes were planned, he
was clear on the point that what we saw was still a rough
cut - the same version, in fact, that screened in Toronto
and took home the audience award.
As
for casting, the director indicated that Ms. Blanchard was
not his first choice for the role of Nina, and that when
he first heard her read for the part he didn't care for
her take on it; also, he was hoping for a bigger Hollywood
name. But between the casting director, who thought Ms.
Blanchard's star would be on the rise following her role
in The Good Shepherd, and Ms. Blanchard herself, who convinced
him that she was literally born to play Nina, he relented.
For
the role of Jose, there was never any question: the script
was written from the beginning with Mr. Verástegui in mind,
with the result that he wears the part on screen like a
tailored suit of clothes.
PROTESTING
TOO MUCH?: "I used to worry. Then I did a little research
and found out that ten out of ten people die." - Nina to
Jose, as they ride the train to the New Jersey seashore.
BRIEF
Q/A with director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde:
Chad Jones: What was your inspiration for making Bella?
Was the concept based on events in your own life?
Alejandro
Gomez Monteverde: I was very inspired to make a film that
could touch people's hearts and inspire audiences to love
more and judge less.
Somehow, yes, the story was inspired by a series of true
stories, stories that happened to people close to me, so
what I did was to connect those stories and the result was
Bella. Also, the family in the film is just like my family.
CJ:
Which speaks directly to my next question. This film emphasizes
the role of a closely-knit family. So you drew on your own
family members when creating the characters?
AGM:
The family that is presented on the film is just like my
family. I believe that family is the foundation of one's
self. In Bella we see two broken souls; their language is
the pain they carry inside. However Jose knows that his
family can become a medicine to ease that pain. We all have
families and in the end our families play a big role in
who we are today. The characters in Bella come from that.
CJ:
Bella depicts a love story where the two characters don’t
kiss passionately in the rain and don’t tell each other
they love each other. Did you strive to keep from these
cliches and expectations?
AGM:
My intention from the beginning was to make a love story
that goes beyond romance. Normally when we think of love
we think of a romantic one, and I wanted to make a film
about that kind of love that goes beyond the romantic scenarios,
a love story between two human beings, allowing the characters
to experience the love that understands and does not judge.
CJ: The image of the butterfly associated with a young girl's
death brings to mind chaos theory, which holds that every
event in life, even the fluttering of a butterfly's wings,
can create significant consequences in the world. This one
event is what changes Jose's life. Likewise, is there one
even that changed your life and made you who you are?
AGM:
What a great question. I believe that all of us will have
at least one experience in our lives that will somehow change
our lives forever, and if it hasn't happen to us yet it
will. That was pretty much the essence of the film. A lot
of things have happened in my life that made me who I am
today, however I don't have one that stands out among any
of my personal experiences.
CJ:
What awards has Bella received?
AGM:
Bella won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International
Film Festival; The Smithsonian Institution honored Bella
with a Legacy Award for its contribution to the Latin culture.
Also it was nominated for an Estela Award by NALIP (National
Latino Independent Producers).
Interview
by Chad Jones
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