Bella: True Love Goes Beyond Romance is an amazing movie with a profound message on several levels. First it attempts to represent Latinos in a positive light. Most U.S. television portrays Latinos as gangsters or promiscuous “Latin Lovers”. Currently “Illegal Immigration” is a hot topic and Latinos are considered “illegals” until proven otherwise. Every heinous crime committed by illegals is given prominent coverage in some media quarters, and it’s not uncommon to see bumper stickers with messages like “Welcome to America - Now Speak English” as signs on an intense frustration with at least a segment of the Latino community. This movie paints a different picture that Anglos need to hear these days.
The lead, Eduardo Verastegui, a former “Boy Band” member popular throughout Latin America and a “soap opera” star in Mexico changed his career path thanks to a fresh recommitment to the Christian faith of his youth. His desire was to make films his younger sisters would be able to watch in good conscience. No wonder the production company goes by the Greek word for repentance - Metanoia.
If that first theme seems unnecessary in the land of the “melting pot” (even though it’s badly needed), be thankful for it because that may be the theme that allows Bella to spread its positive pro-life, pro-adoption message past those who’d otherwise dismiss the life-affirming aspect of Bella’s storyline.
Inside a story that shows the best elements to which Latino culture aspires, the message of agape love shines through on many levels. I’d tell you more about that and how the message shines through, but you need to see the movie and don’t need a review to spoil the artistry for you.
So what are you waiting for? See it for yourself!
Like most great movies, Bella is an opportunity for outreach and ministry as well as entertainment. A number of young women had the courage, after watching Bella, to spare their unborn children. Undoubtedly other women who have had abortions might see the picture and be moved to seek help before the long term effects of abortion play their havoc. As longitudinal studies show, women having one or more abortions are at great risk of deadly psychological and physical harm. Having a targeted outreach for women that likewise makes resources available to deal with issues surrounding abortion could be a most helpful Christian service to provide. Churches, associations or organizations wishing to sponsor a showing of Bella in their area can get the details at HelpBella.com … at $3,000 minimum it’s a stretch, but not impossible for a number of small churches to gather the people required. For larger churches, this amount is very manageable. Opportunities like this show the need for local congregations to on the lookout for opportunities to reach outside themselves and the need to be networked in advance for mission with other congregations in order to make significant things happen on short notice.
Of course, we need to be on the lookout for things that let us start talking about what matters most in the world, so just ordinary conversations prompted by Bella but which lead to discussing our precious Lord Jesus Christ will probably be even better!
It’s also a great way to open up lines of communication with your neighbors in the Latino community. While the general Anglo populace may not have heard about the movie, the Latino community is in many instances already abuzz with discussions about the movie and will readily enter into a friendly conversation about the movie. The star after all - is legendary in Mexico and Latin America.
