Sometimes the simplest solutions to our life’s problems are the best solutions. They’re also the ones we most readily overlook. We get so caught up in our everyday lives that we simply don’t give ourselves the luxury of time—time to step back, take a look at the question at hand, and rethink our approach to resolving it. “Bella” (“Beauty”), a recently released, heart-tugging drama, explores this process—excuse the pun—beautifully.
When Manny, a hot-headed, workaholic, New York restaurateur (Manny Perez), fires Nina, one of his waitresses (Tammy Blanchard), for being routinely late (unaware that her recent tardiness has been due to her being “late” in another way), his head chef (and younger brother), Jose (Eduardo Verástegui) comes to her rescue. He spontaneously, and uncharacteristically, abandons his kitchen post to console his newly dismissed co-worker. Even though Jose and Nina barely know one another, they quickly develop a bond by spending a leisurely day together, first in the city and then later with Jose’s family at their suburban Long Island home. Their time away from work and in each other’s company is a welcome change; the unexpected break gives each of them an opportunity to assess their individual issues and to attend to wounds that each of them has carried around for a long while but that have stubbornly failed to heal.
For Nina and Jose, escaping their daily routine proves not only refreshing but revelatory, yielding simple yet effective solutions that neither of them had previously imagined. And all it took was for them to give themselves permission to take a much-needed respite to confront and resolve the challenges in each of their lives.
“Bella” is a wonderfully warm and touching film, and it makes its case with genuine heartfelt emotion—no sloppily sentimentality or schmaltziness here. It’s easy to feel for these characters as they work through their challenges (thanks in large part to the stellar performances of the leads). But what’s most gratifying is to see the characters discover how truly easy this can be when they simply allow themselves the opportunity to experience it. Getting away from the workaday world to take time and smell the roses can do more than just fill one’s nostrils with a pleasant scent; it can also shift one’s perspective quickly and with surprising ease if given a chance. And that’s the real beauty of this film.
