The Good Shepherd is a 2006 spy film directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Tammy Blanchard. Although it is a fictional film loosely based on real events, it is advertised as telling the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the Central Intelligence Agency. The film’s main character, Edward Wilson (portrayed by Matt Damon), is loosely based on James Jesus Angleton and Richard M. Bissell. William Hurt’s character, Phillip Allen, is largely based on Allen Dulles, while General Bill Sullivan, played by Robert De Niro, is loosely based on Major General William Joseph Donovan.
Bella is a 2006 film directed by Alejandro Gomez starring Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard. Set in New York City, the film is about how one moment changed the lives of three people forever.
Bella tells the story of Nina, a waitress and her co-worker Jose, a cook.
The energy in the kitchen of an elegant Mexican restaurant in Manhattan is cranking up steadily, as the staff braces for the lunch rush. One waitress, Nina, is running late, which is becoming a habit. She dashes in at the last minute, but Manny, the owner, tells her this is one time too many, and fires her on the spot. As Nina storms out, the head chef, Manny’s brother José (a mysteriously tragic guy, peeking out through a forest of beard and hair), follows her outside to make sure she’s OK. She confides in him that she is pregnant, but says she is not ready for a baby and is seriously considering abortion. Over the course of the day, he takes her to his house, and he tells her that a few years ago he had been driving a car when he accidentally hit a little girl, who dies instantly from the impact. He gets sentenced to four years in jail for vehicular manslaughter. After he was released from jail, José tried multiple times to get in touch with the girl’s mother; this never happens, as it is said that the mother of the child never forgave José for the tragic accident. After José is done telling this horrible story, he and Nina go into his parents’ house, where they eat dinner with José’s mother, father, and younger brother and his girlfriend. José’s parents say to Nina that she is always welcome to stay at their house if need be. She appreciates the offer, but declines. The next day, José walks with Nina on the street and he leaves as she is going to go get an abortion. José walks back to the restaurant from the beginning of the film, where his brother re-hires him. They hug, and just as Manny starts talking about a new dish he’d like to try out, José whispers something in his ear. José is then seen playing on a beach with a young girl, who we learn is his daughter. It turns out that José got in touch with Nina before her abortion and said he’d like to adopt her baby. Nina then pulls up in a taxi and talks with José and his daughter (later called “Bella”) and Bella realizes Nina is her birth mother, and they exchange meaningful gifts. Nina, Bella, and José are then seen walking off the beach together, a reunited family of sorts.
