lasttimeisaw Rightly tapping into the cliché of middle-age solitude, GLORIA, the up-and-coming Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio's Golden Bear contender (rightfully won its leading actress Paulina García a coveted BEST ACTRSS gong), is a brutally honest take on our titular heroine's stagnated status quo and her inexorable endeavor to break it. A petit bourgeois divorcée, Gloria (García) is in her 50s and has stayed single over a decade, she has a stable office job, the relations with her grown-up children have become distant inevitably through time and she frequents a club tailoring maturer clientele to seek some new spark in her inert life, that's where she meets Rodolfo (Hernández), a retired navy officer and a blow-in of the divorcé club. Physically, their sparkle is incandescent, by way of a daringly hardcore directness in their one-night-stand (and many intimate occasions would follow), Lelio brings home to audience that as unprepossessing as their act seems by the standard of common aesthetics, that is what sex looks like at that age: flabby flesh, furrowed face, unwieldy posture, yet, nothing can possibly take away the carnal sensation the process engenders, and granted not everyone is bestowed with that privilege in their autumn years. That said, there is always a catch in the passion-kindled romance when it passes the initial stage of purely physical attraction towards something more personal and complicated, something is detrimental to the budding relationship. In this case and according to Rodolfo, it is his over- dependent adult daughters, but in the event, after being wantonly stiffed by him not once but twice (the first is a misstep to bring him to her son's birthday party where her ex-husband is also present, and the second is a much more invidious hammer blow), Gloria realizes that this umbilical cord is bilateral, or even worse, insinuated by the last appearance of Rodolfo, decked and peppered by Gloria's vengeful paintball pellets, maybe his side of the story is a total whopper, that is what one calls a superbly orchestrated open-ending eliciting a viewer's afterthought. Through and through, Lelio levels his camera to the indefatigable Gloria, accentuates the emotional spectrum through a much trodden path, and crystallizes the cathartic moments with sublimely figurative strokes (let it be the dancing skeleton metaphor, a thinly-veiled political snapshot in the background or that precious white peacock knockout), often with optimal diegetic music choices (sometimes played lyrically through real-life musician Hugo Moraga), culminated by Umberto Tozzi's erstwhile hit GLORIA, trenchantly hits the bull's eye with its rousing tempo and significative pertinence, that is the damn theme song and a tribute to our heroine and gazillions of women like her in the real world, sidelined and often slighted by this ageist and sexist society, but never subjugates themselves to victimology, instead, they are absolutely faithful to what their hearts desire and never flinch back by the sporadic impediments. Meanwhile, it is also a hard-won victory for the central players, Paulina García deserves all the acclaim she garners for a bold but minutely precise, unmannered yet immensely visceral tour-de- force, which sets a high bar for its slated USA rehash, directed by Lelio himself and starring Julianne Moore. And last but not the least, Sergio Hernández, impresses viewers with equal dedication and beguiles us with his seemingly benevolent and passionate efforts, which speaks volumes about a callous male ego, there is an abuser underneath a commoner's camouflage, soundly punches above its weight in this emphatic feminist chord-striker.

willcundallreview Gloria is a comedy drama that has a deep emotional level running right through it, and also a great advertisement for Chilean film. With a strong lead performance(winning awards in the process), and writing and directing not seen in the mainstream, of course until now, Gloria is just a strange celebration of life but also shows what some go through even when they live fairly well. I felt it was strongly a pretty good movie, and here below is why so.The story as said is a deep level of personal emotion and delves straight into the life of Gloria, the whole story basically revolves around her and her day to day life but also her love life and all that comes with it. At times it can be a little funny if not quite dark humour actually, the funniest parts I would say are toward the end and you will see why but this movie never tries to make you laugh, just watch in wonder at Gloria's life.Paulina Garcia as Gloria is very good, I can see just why she won many accolades for her performance and she commands the role in a graceful yet oddly powerful way. I also enjoyed Sergio Hernandez as Rodolfo, he as well as Garcia commands his character and so when you think back on who gave a great performance, these two really stick out. I liked the way it didn't need massive names to attract attention, it never wanted it but I can see why it got it(and it's good attention).Sebastian Lelio directs and co writes this with a fair bit of ease and even when the film can seem slow and arduous, he comes up with something to bring more life to it, it's as if he kills and then straight away brings back to life. Sometimes it could be said due to the subtitles that it is hard for the emotion to fully come across, I did feel it just a little but by the end you should be at the same level of emotion as the characters involved.My main criticism is it's dull parts, to a hardened critic of straight drama and art house international type work this will seem a walk in the park but for me it has those slightly duller moments which all together, affect the movies score. When you finish you may feel as if "I didn't enjoy that too much but there isn't much to poke holes at" and it is true, very little is wrong other than occasional dullness.If you think this is a Romcom then think again, it isn't about the romance as it is about Gloria struggling to find everything she wants and what she has to deal with day to day. It is a good piece of international work and receiver of many nominations, so if you are looking for a kind of indie made award winner then here you have it.Overall it is Fairly Good and although I didn't think it was just Good, it is very close to being so. I will add that this film is well timed, doesn't overstay it's welcome and lets you enjoy what is has to offer. Maybe the word enjoy is not the word to connect this movie and the audience, a critique for the audience is what it is, showing as previously said many times now, a snapshot of Gloria's life and what she has,wants and gets, just a pretty good drama piece.

l_rawjalaurence The plot of Sebastian Lelio's film is straightforward: Gloria, a middle-aged divorcée (Paulina Garcia), visits a singles club, falls in love with Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez), and then discovers the truth about him. After having been stood up twice, she takes her revenge on him and resolves to stand up to the world on her own. What makes GLORIA such a memorable experience is the way it is shot: there are very few external sequences, suggesting that the characters are somehow prisoners of their natures. Gloria's apartment appears particularly claustrophobic, the walls hemming her in both physically and emotionally. Lelio's shooting-style reinforces the sense of imprisonment; through a series of tight close-ups on Gloria's side profile we get the feeling that she cannot escape her destiny. Although fond of her children Pedro (Diego Fontecila) and Ana (Fabiola Zamora), she understands that she has little no influence in their lives anymore; with no family of her own, she does not have much to look forward to other than a life of emotional imprisonment. Nonetheless the film ends on a note of qualified optimism; after having wrought a satisfying revenge on the spineless Rodolfo, Gloria goes on her own to a party, and sees a peacock spreading its plumage. This is an important symbol, suggesting pride in one's appearance: Gloria stares as it and returns to the dance-hall, where she refuses yet another offer from a male consort to dance, and strikes out on her own. The film ends with the song "Gloria" on the soundtrack, and an extended shot of her gyrating to the music, while spreading her arms peacock-style. Although the daily grind of life might not have changed for her, she feels more confident in herself to take pride in what she has. This is her passport to escape from the mental prison which hitherto has inhibited her. With no music on the soundtrack, save for the sounds in the discos, singles clubs and hotels, Lelio's film is an intense experience, refusing to allow the audience the release of sentimentality. Garcia's performance in the central role is little short of wondrous; it must have been difficult to sustain that level of intensity, especially with the camera so relentlessly focused on her profile. All in all, a memorable cinematic experience.

Paul Allaer "Gloria" (2013 release from Chile; 100 min.) brings the story of Gloria (played by Paulina Garcia), a fifty-something divorced woman. As the movie opens, we find Gloria in a dance club with Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" blasting away. Gloria is alone, but certainly not lonely. She loves to dance, and she attracts the attention of others. Pretty soon, Gloria makes the acquaintance of Rodolfo, a sixty-something who is also divorced, yet emotionally still close to his ex-wife and even more so his two grown daughters. Meanwhile, we get to also know Gloria's grown kids: her son Pedro is taking care of a new baby, and her daughter Ana is involved with her boyfriend from Sweden. To tell you much more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Several comments: first, this is one great 'little' movie about the free-spirited Gloria. One can't help but marvel at the "joie de vivre" which Gloria lives by, even if things are not always easy or don't always go her way. Second, what can you say about the towering performance from Paulina Garcia in the title role! She is in virtually every frame of the movie, and she will blow you away. She brings a daring performance on every level. Co-star Sergio Hernandez as romantic interest Rodolfo is pretty good too. Beware: there are a number of nude scenes between these two, which may make uncomfortable viewing for some. I must say that I am surprised--and disappointed--that Paulina Garcia, who has won a number of international prizes for this performance (including "Best Actress" at the 2013 Berlin Film Festival, where this movie premiered), did not even get nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Third, there are a couple of key scenes in the movie that will stay with you, none better in my opinion than the awkward family reunion on Pedro's birthday, with Gloria's ex-husband and his new wife, and Gloria introducing Rodolfo to her family for the first time. Just watch what happens. Last but not least: there is a ton of great music in the movie, including of course Umberto Tozzi's late 70s classic "Gloria" (Laura Branigan's cover version a few years later became a monster hit in the US).This movie reminded me of the 1978 classic "An Unmarried Woman" starring Jill Clayburgh (I think she even won the Best Actress Oscar for this). Certainly these two movies are similar in spirit, if nothing else. "Gloria" opened last weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and when I went to see it this weekend, the matinée screening was surprisingly well attended, which is great news. If you are in the mood for a top-notch foreign movie with stellar performances, you cannot go wrong with this. "Gloria" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!