Gloria Bell

Gloria Bell (Julianne Moore) is a middle-aged divorcée in Los Angeles. She spends her days at her job, with her friends and her family, and dealing with a hairless cat and a disturbed neighbor. She spends her nights dancing at a nightclub with other older club goers. One night, she meets Arnold (John Turturro).

This is a remake of a Chilean film. The style is a matter of fact, slice of life story of a simple older woman. It has some docu-style flair. When she has the one night stand with Arnold, it's fine for her to know nothing about him. As she gets into a relationship, the movie needs to do some exposition with his life. I may have missed it but she needs to have a deep discussion about his relationships. This movie has a lot unspoken but his personal life cannot be one of them. He can lie about it but she can't not ask him about it. Turturro is obviously disturbed somehow and she's avoiding it. There are little things that rang wrong. I don't like her son questioning her where she found Arnold. It's an inquisition when he should be supportive. He could rail against him but he can't accuse her. It's a written line to point a finger at her when her son would unlikely do that in reality. Otherwise, it's a great portrait of an older woman. The tension is lessened by looking away from the drama.

This is not a movie for those looking for a nicely wrapped up happy ending. Instead it is an exercise in how one lonely, disillusioned women is trying to navigate life as a middle aged divorcee. It's not pretty, but, it reeks of the truths of life. Julianne Moore is splendid as usual and the supporting characters fill in quite nicely. It never ceases to amaze me at how good Moore is in her craft. She gives one sideways glance to the John Torturro character in a bar that is pure acting brilliance. The bottom line is that you will enjoy this movie if you view it with an open mind and accept it for what it is and not what it isn't. On a side note, if anyone wants to see probably the best depiction of a divorced women trying to resurrect her life then I highly recommend Jill Clayburgh in Starting Over. I think you will not be disappointed.

I am not familiar with the original Gloria, directed by the same filmmaker, Sebastian Lelio. However, I'm a fan of what I've seen from Lelio. Liked Disobedience quite a bit, hard not to love a film with a forbidden love affair between Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz at the forefront. A Fantastic Woman was also a really engrossing effort, with all eyes on leading star Daniela Vega. Here we have a film about Julianne Moore living her life and having fun each step of the way. Sold.

The film follows the life of Gloria Bell. She tries to remain chipper and upbeat even when she experiences trouble with her family and a newfound love in her life. According to her she would go down dancing should the world ever end. We see Gloria primarily trying to find love but its difficult when she puts herself out there but has to deal with the troubles the man brings. The film also stars Michael Cera and John Turturro.

This film lives and dies with Julianne Moore in her performance as Gloria Bell. Everything you see and feel is through her character. She absolutely embodies the character entirely. Shes great in it. You can tell that Moore is having the time of her life being Gloria. The film resonates because it shows a person who keeps busy in her later years but still finds the need to go out and find love. She's living the common struggles of people these days.

I have no note of comparison as I have not seen the original but you get a strongly portrayed female lead, who is living it up in the modern world. Its a very realistic portrayal of a character that you may know in your everyday life. Its a mostly happy and free spirited comic work by Lelio a bit of a change of pace from what I've seen from him but a worthy watch.

7/10

Story is stretched too thin and familiar. Plight of characters not particularly engaging or interesting. Main lead brings an extra layer to the film. Pacing issues.

Five years after the Chilean original, Sebastián Lelio decided to remake his own movie and direct an American version starring Julianne Moore as the main character. I have to admit to having liked this more than the version with Paulina García - both performances are equally formidable, but perhaps it's my personal admiration for the legendary Julianne Moore which caused me to feel more attached to Gloria's character in this film.

This is a film for a very special audience, and many viewers outside of that audience will probably find it difficult to relate to the everyday life troubles of a middle-aged woman struggling with sexuality, motherhood, health issues and work life (just look at the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes or the negative comments on IMDb). I mainly watched this because of Julianne Moore and since I have really liked Sebastián Lelio's work so far, and I didn't regret it for a single second. Moore is perfect and gives one of the best performances of her career, which says a lot since she was so fantastic already in films such as "Still Alice", "Far from Heaven", "The Hours", "Magnolia" or "Boogie Nights".

"Gloria Bell" feels like it's about celebration of life. It's full of positivity; it is uplifting even in its sadder moments thanks to its poignant use of music, and a refreshing breath of vibrancy drifts through every single scene. An intimate and all around glorious character study from one of the best rising directors of the last decade, with one hell of a courageous and captivating final act.