Sunday, October 6, 2019

Gloria Bell

Movie Name: Gloria Bell
Year of Release: 2018
Director: Sebastian Lelio
Starring: Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Holland Taylor, Michael Cera, Caren Pistorius, Brad Garrett, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Rita Wilson, Barbara Sukowa, Chris Mulkey, Jesse Erwin, Sean Astin, Cassi Thomson, Alanna Ubach, Sarah Lowe
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review:
Sebastian Lelio who made waves with "A Fantastic Woman" which won the Oscar for best foreign film in 2017 for Chile, directed two films in 2018. The second to see the light of day is "Gloria Bell", a remake of one of his most well known films, "Gloria". The film follows the story of Gloria, a divorced woman in her 50s, who goes dancing quite often, and who's enjoying her life, trying to date men, and generally keeping up with her children and their lives. While her adult children have problems of their own, and somewhat avoid discussing them with her, Gloria is nonetheless always available, in good spirits, also providing support for her own mother, and a few of her good friends. While out and about Gloria meets Arnold, a somewhat quiet man, whom she becomes enamored with. He's also divorced, though more recently, and is still very much attached to his previous life, particularly his ex-wife and adult daughters. As Gloria tries to bring him into her life, by introducing him to her children, ex husband, Arnold suddenly disappears, leaving Gloria firstly shocked and then enraged by his behavior. He tries to apologize, but she's having none of it, until she decides to reconsider. As they enjoy a weekend away, Arnold's ex-life pops up again forcing yet another combustible situation.
"Gloria" placed Sebastian Lelio's name on the map, and this remake is a translation of that feature into the North American reality. The film is successful in depicting and capturing the universe of Gloria, a woman in her 50s, who after being divorced for 12 years, and living alone, is actively pursuing her relationships, both familial, but also on the dating world, attempting to find people to engage with and possibly even have a romance with. Her adult children are somewhat distant, but her mother is still an ever present figure in her life, and she's surrounded by good friends. The director manages to illustrate this universe succinctly, imbuing all the relationships with authenticity and warmth. The film never derails itself into a glamour view of the life of this woman, choosing instead to portray her and her life filled with insecurities, longings, pleasures, with a genuine sense of discovery. Julianne Moore fully inhabits this role without overdoing it. Gloria is a genuine creation of hers, one that is firmly grounded in reality, with her sadness, fears, romance, humor, sexiness, which make her more than just a simple typical character. The supporting cast is top notch, and the cinematography from Natasha Braier is wonderful as is the score of the fantastic Matthew Herbert. Worth watching.

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