Bella Vista

Bella Vista is a fiction/documentary hybrid that tells the story of a woman at a crossroads. In the dead of winter in the mountain valley of Missoula, Montana, Doris has just returned to the U.S. after years teaching English abroad. At the local university, she forms a small community with her class of international students. But outside she is alienated, unable to form meaningful connections. Doris explores the town, coming across clues to a recent legacy of displaced persons: an old photograph of an Indian camp, a row of Japanese graves in the local cemetery. And she is haunted by a strange encounter with a boy, who lives in a motel on the edge of town. As winter begins to thaw, she and her students must consider the complexities of adapting and belonging. What if home is no longer a place, but just an idea? Could you lose yourself completely? The next decision they make will redefine not only their lives, but their very identities.

Directed by Vera Brunner-Sung, Bella Vista leans on a strong ensemble — Kathleen Wise, Hiroka Matsushima — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2014.