BELLA

A nice little movie. Jose, a strikingly handsome young soccer player (actually, the first word that came to my mind was "hot") with a hopeful future drives with his manager to his first media event. In scenes that follow, he's got a full beard and he's a chef in a nice restaurant in NYC.

What happened between isn't revealed for a while, but I didn't mind. It's a simple but beautiful story. You meet a waitress who works at the restaurant, and it's revealed that she's pregnant (single), though she doesn't broadcast it. She's fired by the manager for lateness and leaves. Jose follows her, and engages her in a friendship that is supportive.

As their friendship develops, more is revealed about both characters. It's a sweet story. When the movie ended, I wish there had been more, but it was a sensible place to stop, I guess.

One of my favorite things: at the opening of the film, the scene goes back and forth between an image of children's feet negotiating a soccer ball, and larger feet in nice shoes dancing to Latin music. I love this juxtaposition, and a lot of the other framing by the camera person.

If there's a theme to this film, I'd say it's that when a person makes the right choice (or best choices in his/her life), it may not bring them fame or fortune, but it's worth doing. Another theme is that investing one's self into another person without expectations -- just being there -- can yield wonderful things.

Only two things I'd change: Jose should have been wearing a net over his beard while cooking. The other thing I cannot state without giving away too much.

It made me think of the song How to Save a Life by The Fray, even though the lyrics are about something a bit different: