Monsignor Luigi Giussani, was a well known Italian priest, known for founding the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation. He was fairly prolific in his writing up to his death in 2005. His writings usually cause me to stop and pause in life, especially this part that I read recently:

“The great adventure of human life is to reiterate that Man’s (Christ’s) proposal and to verify it. This is the great adventure that makes life and history pregnant with meaning, rather than a series of events. This is the great adventure that frees us from the feeling of futility and builds on the power of hope.”

This paragraph especially jumped out at me after seeing the movie Bella. For those of you who haven’t heard, Bella is the first movie by the Catholic film company Metanoia. The name Metanoia means “Change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion,” and it seems that’s what they’re trying to do - impact culture by helping people to change their lives for the better. The movie opened in the big cities first, and it finally made its way to here last Friday, opening at the Kerasotes Theater in Pekin.

Bella, which is Latin for “beautiful,” is a perfect example of Metanoia’s mission. It’s about a day in the lives of two people, and how their encounter changes their lives forever. It is a very well made film, the acting is very touching and sincere, and the core story is phenomenal. The Christian worldview is represented very well in the movie, and yet, they pull the whole thing off without becoming preachy or lecturing.

I think every Christian around should go and see the movie for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s made by a Christian company dedicated to making quality films. That’s a rarity, especially in today’s day and age, and we should support companies trying to create quality entertainment. Secondly, they’re doing it without becoming preachy, which is important if you want to reach audiences today.

Thirdly, it’s a really good film. It’s not a shoot-em-up thriller (which I sometimes like) or adventure / super-hero movie (which I love), but it’s one of those films that sort of just stops you dead in your tracks and causes you to think. Think about your life, about what you do, and about how you go about your daily lives. It makes you really see life as a “great adventure…pregnant with meaning, rather than a series of events” as Giussani says.

So, if you haven’t seen it yet, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Bella for all of those reasons. It is rated PG-13 because of a few serious thematic elements (they do tackle issues of death and abortion), so I’d use discretion with taking kids. But for everyone else, just go see it. I doubt you will be disappointed.

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