Gloria **** (2013, Paulina García, Sergio Hernández, Diego Fontecilla) – Movie Review

Paulina García is glorious as the free-spirited 50something divorcée Gloria, a regular in Santiago’s singles clubs, where she picks up her one-night stands. García’s Best Actress award-winning performance at the Berlin Film Festival is better than the film, but that’s pretty darned good too.

One night Gloria meets former naval officer, now businessman Rodolfo (Sergio Hernández) and they embark on whirlwind relationship. She loves him and he seems to adore her. But he’s got heavy, heavy baggage ex-wife and children – it seems he just can’t dump them and move on with Gloria.

You can see the inevitable ending coming a mile off, what with that title and all, and that does reduce its impact. It’s a bit pat when the rest of the film has been subtle and nuanced. Nevertheless, this a very good, brave, involving movie, worthwhile for Garcia, who’s not afraid to give it her all.

Co-writer-director Sebastián Lelio won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury for the film’s ‘refreshing and contagious plea that life is a celebration to which we are all invited, regardless of age or condition, and that its complexities only add to the challenge to live it in full.’ So you get the idea of the movie. It certainly tries to be a really good advert for older folks dancing, bonking and taking their clothes off. Youth, as someone wise once said, is wasted on the young. Here 50somethings make an awful hash of things too, wasting their chance for love.

But Gloria – she’s the life force, and Garcia the perfect embodiment of her. Both could be gay heroines. Just ditch the old lady specs, love, and you’ll be OK!

Lelio writes the screenplay with Gonzalo Maza.

It is R rated for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and strong language.

(C) Derek Winnert 2013 derekwinnert.com