Gloria is a 58-year-old divorcée. Her children have all left home but she has no desire to spend her days and nights alone. Determined to defy old age and loneliness, she rushes headlong into a whirl of singles’ parties on the hunt for instant gratification – which only leads to repeated disappointment and enduring emptiness. But when Gloria meets Rodolfo, an ex-naval officer seven years her senior, she begins to imagine the possibility of a permanent relationship.
Reviews
Searching round for films to view for the IMDb's Film Festival page event,I found Gloria a title that I could not track down anywhere.Looking round for TV shows on the British DVD site Network,I was surprised to discover that they had put Gloria out,which led to me getting ready to finally meet Gloria.The plot:Seeing her children move away after she has been divorced for 12 years,Gloria decides that she is not going to let the twilight years of life pass her by.Hitting the bars and clubs,Gloria starts dating (and sleeping with) a number of guys.Hitting things off on the dance floor,Gloria catches the attention of recent divorcée Rodolfo.Falling for Rodolfo,Gloria begins asking Rodolfo if he can introduce her to his family.Caught by surprise, Rodolfo soon reveals to Gloria that he is not as free-spirited as her.View on the film:Swaying the film to a soundtrack that includes Disco classics and Latin Pop,co-writer/(along with Gonzalo Maza) director Sebastián Lelio follows Gloria in jagged hand-held shots,which give the title an intimate atmosphere.Whilst the camera moves undercover hidden sides to Gloria,the screenplay by Lelio & Maza runs hot and cold,with the focused on Gloria's care free personality being constantly pushed aside for a romantic relationship which lacks emotional intimacy.Giving Gloria a strikingly confident flirtatiousness, Paulina García gives a wonderful performance as Gloria,thanks to García delicately expressing Gloria's physical intimacy whilst keeping her happy go lucky attitude burning bright,in a film that is far from glorious.
Life isn't always easy, and here we have a Chilean movie slogging us through with actress Paulina Garcia's pathetic and lonely woman who seems afraid to commit herself to anyone in her life. She is withdrawn in her shell from those she loves. And if you like misery, the first half of the movie dragged fairly badly and didn't present much in the way of conflict. The director, make-up, Garcia herself have succeeded in creating a total mope. Anyway, thanks to picking up some sort of storyline and the fireworks finale, the director saves the movie from the doldrums. (major spoilers) Absolutely loved the last 10 min or so of the movie with her losing it, and then the white peacock, and finale dance in her name. Sometimes the best scenes in movies really lift a mediocre movie to good standing such as this one.....7/10
Age is just a number & you're never too old to stop following what the heart desires. Gloria centres on a divorced but free-spirited old woman who is trying to beat the loneliness & old age by going to singles' parties where she meets a former naval officer with whom she becomes romantically involved with & even dreams of a permanent relationship. But things aren't really as simple as they seem on the surface which later forces Gloria to confront her own secrets.This was the Chilean entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards & although it didn't impress me apart from a couple of things, there are many moments that'll make its viewers' smile. The best thing about Gloria is the character arc of Gloria herself, which is eminently illustrated on the screen by Paulina García in what is a scintillating & show- sweeping performance. The other thing I liked about it was the use of music.On an overall scale, Gloria can be viewed as a coming-of-age story set in old age & on a superficial level is simply about the celebration of life. Paulina García is definitely the best thing about this film but that doesn't mean its other aspects are a let-down by any means. The direction is fine, the script is intriguing but all these didn't really ring any bell like I was expecting it to but I do admire what it was trying to express.A good film that promises a fun ride but stumbles a little during its middle act, Gloria is by no means a great film but then by no means it's bad either. It didn't work for me but the story it has is pretty satisfactory for a mainstream audience.
I was enticed by the previews I had seen in Feb. - really wanted to see this movie. The good things - true portrayal of a lonely divorced woman seeking companionship and sex. A man who is looking for a caring woman but at the same time he is so tied with his family and not free to have a real relationship. the diagnosis of glaucoma did nothing for the movie except provide a reason for the eye drop scenes. The presentation of sex between the main characters was refreshing since it was real - and no body doubles. Cons: boring - slow - little joy - smoking (i know this is a foreign film but I really do not like smoking). I thought there would be more fun in this movie - mislead by the previews. However the scene towards the end where she returns his paint ball guns was priceless. I was disappointed by the film even thought it was true to life. It was not that entertaining.
