Bella may mean beautiful in Spanish, but unfortunately, Alejandro Gomez Monteverde’s new film does not live up to its name. Though the film may have inner beauty, as a whole, it certainly isn’t a looker.

The film follows the story of two people, José (Eduardo Verástegui) and Nina (Tammy Blanchard), as they attempt to reconcile their pasts, presents, and hopes for the future. Both characters are trying to cope with the consequences of unexpected events in their lives and struggling to numb the pain.

José is a chef at his brother’s restaurant, but he had been a soccer star until an unexpected event ended his career. Nina is a waitress at the restaurant, who is straining to survive day to day in New York City. The two are brought together by yet another monumental event, which causes Nina’s life to go from bad to worse. José attempts to help Nina, but they actually end up saving each other, while also learning the power of the human spirit. They connect on a deep level, and by the next day, they know their lives will never be the same.

As wonderful as this story is and as beautiful a message as it conveys, Bella is hindered by the sheer number of films that use the same premise—a brief yet intense journey of two people that ends up altering their lives forever. The film is also unable to maintain the power, energy, and most importantly, the beauty that a journey of this nature requires. While it starts off in the right direction, it cannot sustain itself, and the acting gets sloppy and rushed. Such a film needs consistency, and Bella’s lack of it prevents it from being the film it could, and should have, been.

In spite of this, Bella is Monteverde’s directorial debut, and he should be given some credit for taking a stab at an all-too-familiar plotline and attempting to make it his own. Although he failed to achieve consistency in his film, he does succeed in reminding us to believe in the extraordinary power of the human spirit, even in a short period of time.