Bella

This is a tale of two very different people – Jose and Nina. Jose was a soccer star on the rise before he accidently kills a young girl while driving his car.  He’s now a man who lives with an almost crippling guilt. Jose now works in a restaurant. And it’s in the restaurant where we meet Nina who discovers she has an unwanted pregnancy. She believes an abortion is the only way to salvage her life that would otherwise be destroyed.

Jose and Nina are two very different people – but they discover they need each other – in dealing with the pain and the ‘ruin’ they face. The movie is rare in that it provides an ending that helpfully gives support to the ‘pro-life’ cause. That’s a good thing. But as well as that, it’s a movie that explores a theme that resonates with biblical truth. That is, that out of tragedy, good can come. Outside of a relationship with God, that will only be wishful thinking, but it is real for those that follow Christ. Romans 8:28 tells us, ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love him’. And 1 Corinthians 1:3-7, speaks of how God uses our troubles so that we can be of comfort to those who go through the same troubles us. In the end, Bella is just a story, and it’s a story that has no interest in presenting the truly good news of Jesus Christ. But it’s a story, that with our eyes open, can remind us of the love of God – even in absolute tragedy, God is utterly in control and committed to us.