Holidays make me feel like going to the movies.  But there are  few movies I can heartily endorse, so when one comes along, I’d like to pass my recommendation along to you.  I recently viewed Bella, described by one reviewer as “a quiet new film with a pro-life theme.” I found the small budget ($3 million) movie to be a powerful story of redemption and the value of life.  There are no car chases or immediately recognizable actors, but it is earning high marks from viewers and critics alike. I can see why the film won a standing ovation and the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

Tammy Blanchard as Nina

WORLD magazine, to which I subscribe, is an excellent weekly news magazine somewhat like TIME magazine, but produced with a Christian worldview.  While I might not agree with every position they take, I find their articles and reviews interesting and fair.  I don’t think I can improve upon what they had to say about Bella:

“Bella is the first production of Metanoia Films, the film company created by Verástegui, director Alejandro Monteverde, and Leo Severino, a Los Angeles lawyer…who want to create Christian-themed films to uplift and inspire. In Bella they accomplish that and more. The film has a spare but elegant cast and storyline. José and Niña [the main characters] deal with burdensome, life-changing hurts with an understated resilience appealing to ordinary people. There is no Hollywood redemption here, where the hero loses fame and riches but regains all in the end; instead, he gains character.”

 

 You can read the rest of WORLD Magazine’s review HERE.

Another magazine I respect, Christianity Today, also said of this movie, “rest assured that Bella is well worth seeing for yourself.”  You can read their review HERE.

I like movies.  I think they are an amazing art form, when done well. It’s nice to be able to endorse one on occasion! So go to the movies and enjoy…

Pastor Ray

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