Posted on 12/14/2008 10:45:51 AM PST by wagglebee
When Christian actor Eduardo Verastegui devoted his career to serving God, he had no idea what might come out of his decision. He certainly couldn’t have imagined that his widely acclaimed movie Bella would literally save lives and souls. But that’s the story that author Tim Drake tells so well in his book Behind Bella.
As the book shows, God’s hand was on Eduardo and on the making of the movie from the very beginning. To prepare for his role in Bella, Eduardo wanted to find a real-life Nina—the co-lead in the film struggling with her unwanted pregnancy. So Eduardo paid a visit to a local abortion clinic.
Outside the clinic, a Mexican couple who had come to have an abortion recognized Eduardo from his acting days in Mexico. They approached him, and soon Eduardo found himself counseling them against having an abortion and telling them about the story of Bella. They talked for over an hour and on the phone in the days ahead.
A few months later, Eduardo received a phone call from the young man. He explained that his girlfriend had just given birth to the baby—a boy—and he asked for permission to name him Eduardo.
But baby Eduardo would not be the only child whose life would be saved through Bella. An old friend of Eduardo’s attended one of the film’s pre-screenings in Miami. He came in late to the film, and during the entire screening he was taking phone calls on his cell. His presence was so distracting that one of the film’s financiers almost asked him to leave.
Three weeks later, however, the man called Eduardo late at night to tell him about a mutual friend whose family was pressuring her to abort her child. She was scheduled to have the abortion the next day. But Eduardo decided to call the woman and counseled her to keep the baby. He even told her he would be willing to adopt the child if she would just carry through with her pregnancy.
The woman postponed the appointment and accepted Eduardo’s invitation to come to a pre-screening of the film. After seeing the movie, she decided to keep the child. Months later she told Eduardo that she had given birth to a baby girl named Bella.
To date, the producers of the film are aware of some 40 babies whose mothers were contemplating abortion, but who decided to keep their children as a result of seeing the film. Even the film’s lead actress, Tammy Blanchard, who played Nina, found life imitating art. Before the film’s release, she found herself pregnant. Prior to the making of Bella, she says that she never wanted to have children. She thought it was “pointless.” But making the film changed her mind.
And in December 2007, Tammy gave birth to a baby girl, Ava Jean.
Many have donated the film, along with the book, Behind Bella, to crisis pregnancy centers across the nation. By donating both to your own local crisis pregnancy center or buying copies to give as Christmas gifts, you could help the film continue to bear such fruit.
Though the film never received an Oscar, producer Leo Severino is happy with the awards it has received. “The living Oscars,” he says, “have been the babies saved and the babies adopted because of it.”
Proof of God's love.
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AMEN!
After reading the book, there was no way I was supporting the movie. Though one of the main characters eventually decides in the end not to abort her baby, she then goes on to basically abandon the child for years while she chases her career dreams.
Actually, she puts the child up for adoption, there is a HUGE difference.
I watched this movie last weekend via Netflix online and loved it! ;-)
Not in the book. The child is shown at the end living with the second main character who ran over the child when he was younger. I can’t remember if the two main characters are married at the end of the book though.
I hate phrases such as this...."find yourself pregnant". Like it came out of the blue a la chicken pox or acne and you had nothing to do with its occurrence....it just happened.
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ONE NATION UNDER GOD
That's beauteous!
Actually heard a comedienne work that into a laugh line back in the '80's -- when comedy was relatively innocent, and the worst thing you'd hear is a barrage of "f words."
The bit was something about the boyfriends suddenly getting religion, as evidenced by their newfound belief in immaculate conception, which they indicated by uttering lines like, "so, you got yourself pregnant, eh?"
*** I said, "relatively innocent."
***
As irreverent as it was, it was a far cry from the laugh line I heard in NYC a couple of years ago, where the "comedienne" try to get a laugh out suggesting abortion was a "weight loss technique." It was one of perhaps two times in my life when cold chills overcame me (the other was at a particularly sickening scene in the movie "Scarface" during which the audience cheered).
Absolute joy in Bella.
Let me add—a pregnant student who was unsure about what to do (I knew she was surely going to kill the child) recently watched JUNO (at my recommendation) and decided to keep her child until birth ... I just cried.
**A few months later, Eduardo received a phone call from the young man. He explained that his girlfriend had just given birth to the baby—a boy—and he asked for permission to name him Eduardo.**
Lump in my throat bump. God bless Edeuardo Verastegui as well as his new namesake.
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