An international soccer star is on his way to sign a multimillion dollar contract when something happens that brings his career to an abrupt end. A beautiful waitress, struggling to make it in New York City, discovers something about herself that she's unprepared for. In one irreversible moment, their lives are turned upside down.
Alejandro Gomez Monteverde's first feature may have more heart than head, but it's also just as interesting for what it leaves out of its romantic story as for what it retains.
– Jonathan Rosenbaum,
Chicago Reader,
9 Nov 2007
fresh:
Rarely are crowd-pleasers so effortlessly artful.
– Colin Covert,
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
9 Nov 2007
rotten:
Bella is certainly a sweet, life-affirming picture, but it's just not authentic or captivating enough to justify its wildly concocted scenario.
– Gary Goldstein,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Nov 2007
rotten:
From the quiet performances to the sensitive direction, everything about this movie is convincing except the very story that drives it.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
10 Apr 2008
fresh:
This is not a weepy, but a story about healing, forgiveness and redemption.