Mubi Monday: Gloria (2013)

It turns out that I am quite the fan of director Sebastián Lelio, who also co-wrote this screenplay with Gonzalo Maza. In fact, it turns out that the only film that I have seen from him and thoroughly disliked is the remake of this. Maybe I just wasn't able to appreciate it when I watched it, or maybe the entire premise of the movie is undermined when you get someone like Julianne Moore cast in the lead role.

Gloria is all about Gloria (Paulina García), funnily enough. She is a woman of a certain age, trying to enjoy a time in her life when she can be a bit more free-spirited and confident in her relationships. Trying to enjoy some time with Rodolfo (Sergio Hernández), Gloria soon finds that not everyone at her age has the same approach to life. Some people just aren't ready to move forward without carrying ALL of the baggage from their past with them, either due to a sense of obligation or due to having that baggage available as an excuse whenever they want to provide some distance between themselves and anyone else trying to get close.

While I was critical of the remake because of how lightweight it seemed, Gloria shows that the cast is the only major difference between two interpretations of the material. That makes all the difference though. Whereas Julianne Moore appears onscreen and is Julianne Moore (a damn fine actress, but familiar and able to turn her star power on or off, depending on the role), García feels much more like the character. I don't want to be dismissive of her body of work, but she feels much less like a star and more in line with who Gloria is, the type of unglamorous and natural older woman who isn't often depicted in movies. The rest of the cast do equally well, and there are more people involved in a number of scenes, but the focus remains on Gloria and Rodolfo, which makes the excellence of Hernández in that role so important. Whether you think he is being too caring or too cowardly, Rodolfo is very much a reflection of many people at his stage in life.

Lelio keeps things pretty unfussy, allowing the screenplay to be elevated by the leads, who do as much in moments of silence as they do with the dialogue. There's satisfaction here, but it's not necessarily the kind of satisfaction you get from movies that are building to a standard release of tension in the final act. This is satisfaction derived from watching someone consider their self-worth and firmly decide on whatever could be the key to their own happiness. It also makes great use of a popular song with the same name as the main character. If I wanted to recommend a film from this director then I would recommend others ahead of this one, but Gloria is a rewarding watch, especially for those who have lived enough life to understand that cutting through the BS and believing in yourself is much better for you than trying to please everyone else while you miss out on your own happiness.

7/10

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Mubi Monday: Gloria Bell (2018)

Based on the original movie by director Sebastián Lelio, who also co-wrote it with Gonzalo Mazo, this remake has Lelio helming once again, the screenplay adapted by Alice Johnson Boher, and a cast that includes Julianne Moore, John Turturro, and many more. Having not seen the original, I cannot speak about how this compares to it. I can simply comment on the movie itself, and my comments aren't really overflowing with praise.

Moore plays Gloria, an older woman who enjoys spending some time in clubs and perhaps finding a new lover. She ends up meeting Arnold (Turturro), a man in a similar situation to herself. He is also a divorcee, and has two grown-up children (Gloria has a son and a daughter, Arnold has two daughters), and he claims to be in love with Gloria. Unfortunately, strain develops between the two when it becomes clear that Arnold is often too preoccupied with his daughters, either answering phone calls or disappearing to help them.

The above paragraph is a very basic summary of Gloria Bell, and there's a bit more to this character study than just what I have written there, of course, but not really that much more. In fact, take away the lead performances and this film becomes so lightweight that it's almost ethereal (and not in a good way).

Lelio directs competently enough, and the screenplay takes time to simply show a woman getting to grips with a certain period of her life, but it never really does a good enough job of making the interesting points it could make. Hmmmm, a central character may end up realising that loving oneself and/or life is a better route to happiness than trying to fall in love with someone else? There's something staggeringly original and daring. I really shouldn't lower myself to just delivering sarcastic comments, it's just difficult when a film like this comes along and seems to be viewed as saying something worthwhile. It's not. There's a small twist on the material with the age and situation of the lead character, yes, but when you see how she goes about her day you soon realise that not enough is done to make her anything more than a tool for the final obvious point that Lelio wants to hammer home. Gloria has a problematic neighbour, who is also the son of the landlady. Anyone could be in that situation. She has an ex who now has a new partner. Anyone could be in that situation. She has two children, which is where you think the material starts to feel more relevant to this specific character, but there's very little done with them that couldn't have been done if these central characters were siblings, for example, or close friends. And I understand that I could probably make this argument with many movies. It just stands out here because of the way everything seems underdeveloped. This is a film built around a couple of fun sequences, both set to enjoyable music choices, but without anything in between those moments to reward the patience of viewers.

Moore is as wonderful as ever in the main role, and she deserves better material to work with (although I can see why she would be drawn to this, considering the highlights and the fact that it allows her to be in almost every scene, which doesn't happen enough for such a great actress). Turturro is also as good as he usually is, portraying a different riff on the kind of character we have seen him play quite often throughout his career. The supporting cast includes Caren Pistorius, Michael Cera, Brad Garrett, Holland Taylor, and, the person I was most pleasantly surprised to see, Jeanne Tripplehorn (who deserves more roles in things I may see, cannot recall the last time I saw her in a major release). Everyone does good work, even if they are underserved by a script that is rightly more concerned with things as they are viewed and experienced by Gloria.

Although not a terrible film, I cannot think of many people who will come away from Gloria Bell thinking that their day was better for having watched it. Moore fans will get enjoyment from it, but I am hoping that whatever her next lead role is will also give her a better movie to match her considerable talent. Because this was a disappointment.

4/10

The movie can be bought here.
Americans can buy it here.