Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

akash_sebastian 'Gloria' is a simple, charming and thought-provoking movie. Going through the last stage of life without a partner, to share it with, can be a really tedious and sad journey. This is the story of the daily life of a divorced mother-of-two, whose children are already settled in their life. She visits clubs, house gatherings, etc., all in the search of a decent and suitable man with whom she can spend the rest of her life with. Not only is it a tiring thing to do at that point of your life, but because of the person's maturity and experience in life, the person won't settle for someone random just for the sake of it.The movie might seem quite simple to many, and it is, in many ways. But the subtle way in which the humour, joy, and sadness are shown keeps you intrigued till the end, and makes you wish that you or anyone you love doesn't have to go through such a phase.It's Paulina García's acting as titular character that holds the movie together' Gloria's intelligence, perseverance and dignity shine through radiantly through Miss Garcia.

l_rawjalaurence The plot of Sebastian Lelio's film is straightforward: Gloria, a middle-aged divorcée (Paulina Garcia), visits a singles club, falls in love with Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez), and then discovers the truth about him. After having been stood up twice, she takes her revenge on him and resolves to stand up to the world on her own. What makes GLORIA such a memorable experience is the way it is shot: there are very few external sequences, suggesting that the characters are somehow prisoners of their natures. Gloria's apartment appears particularly claustrophobic, the walls hemming her in both physically and emotionally. Lelio's shooting-style reinforces the sense of imprisonment; through a series of tight close-ups on Gloria's side profile we get the feeling that she cannot escape her destiny. Although fond of her children Pedro (Diego Fontecila) and Ana (Fabiola Zamora), she understands that she has little no influence in their lives anymore; with no family of her own, she does not have much to look forward to other than a life of emotional imprisonment. Nonetheless the film ends on a note of qualified optimism; after having wrought a satisfying revenge on the spineless Rodolfo, Gloria goes on her own to a party, and sees a peacock spreading its plumage. This is an important symbol, suggesting pride in one's appearance: Gloria stares as it and returns to the dance-hall, where she refuses yet another offer from a male consort to dance, and strikes out on her own. The film ends with the song "Gloria" on the soundtrack, and an extended shot of her gyrating to the music, while spreading her arms peacock-style. Although the daily grind of life might not have changed for her, she feels more confident in herself to take pride in what she has. This is her passport to escape from the mental prison which hitherto has inhibited her. With no music on the soundtrack, save for the sounds in the discos, singles clubs and hotels, Lelio's film is an intense experience, refusing to allow the audience the release of sentimentality. Garcia's performance in the central role is little short of wondrous; it must have been difficult to sustain that level of intensity, especially with the camera so relentlessly focused on her profile. All in all, a memorable cinematic experience.

Howard Schumann The big revelation in Chilean director Sebastian Lelio's Gloria is that older people are still interested in sex. Who would've thunk it? We thought they had moved on to other interests. In any event, in the superb performance by Paulina Garcia for which she won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2013, 58-year-old Gloria is definitely a "force of nature." Gloria (who is in every scene in the film) shows her zest for life by going to singles clubs on the weekends, dancing, drinking alcohol, smoking pot, singing along with the car radio, and having sex (not that there's anything wrong with that). You won't catch her doing old fogy things, such as body, mind, and spirit-nurturing type of stuff (except for a halfhearted stab at yoga).She is, nonetheless, a courageous woman who fights off loneliness with tenacity remarkable at any age. Unfortunately, she also proves that she can be just as self-absorbed, unable to communicate, and inconsiderate as anyone, regardless of age or condition. Divorced for many years, Gloria lives alone in a small apartment in Santiago where, after working all day, she has to contend with the noise of a drug addict who lives upstairs. Her relationship with her adult children, Pedro (Diego Fontecilla), who has an infant and daughter Ana (Fabiola Zamora), who is pregnant with the child of her Swedish boyfriend, is good, at least on the surface.The fact that she has to keep reminding them to call her, however, raises questions about how close their relationship is. One weekend at the dance club, Gloria connects with Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez), an ex-Navy officer who has been divorced for one year, and they begin a relationship that seems promising. Rodolfo owns a small amusement park where he and Gloria have fun together, shooting each other with paint guns and bungee jumping. His continuing close relationship with his ex-wife and two daughters whom he supports financially, however, begins to get in the way and their good times together come to a sudden halt when Rodolfo meets Gloria's children and somewhat strange ex-husband Gabriel (Alejandro Goic) at Pedro's birthday party.Feeling ignored to the point of being invisible, Rodolfo reacts to Gloria and Gabriel's reminiscing about the past and showing each other photos from the family album by abruptly getting up and leaving. After avoiding his phone calls for what appears to be several days, they finally meet but neither takes responsibility for what happened. Although he tries to explain what prompted his action at the party, she turns a deaf ear and continues to blame him for being "rude." A similar scenario plays out when they reestablish their friendship and spend a weekend at an upscale resort where the director does not flinch from showing their naked bodies in bed.When Rodolfo receives a phone call from one of his daughters telling him that his ex-wife just had a serious accident, he is anxious to go and be with her. Instead of letting him know that it is okay with her if he chooses to go, Gloria tells him to let go of his past and be in present time. Without regards for his being upset at the moment, she presses him to agree to go with her on a ten-day vacation to Cuba. Though it is not surprising when he again walks out and leaves her alone, it is apparent that open and honest communication would have worked better. Again, blaming him for being rude, she cuts off all communications and petulantly unleashes a paint-gun attack on his home.Without question, accolades are warranted for Garcia's performance and she deserves all the awards and nominations she has received. Gloria can be charming and the world could certainly use more free spirits, yet, while many will cheer her actions with a "you go girl" mindset, a distinction needs to be made between an independent spirit and those who behave in a juvenile manner. Unfortunately, however, Lelio does not make any. It is left to Gloria to finally figure out the difference between pleasure and joy.

maurice yacowar In Sebastian Lelio's Gloria the heroine is a fiftyish Chilean divorcée who has an indomitable sense of life, self and joy. At first Gloria (Pauline Garcio) is out dancing, looking for a man, and she attracts a recent divorcée with her look of radiant joy. The film closes on her exuberant self-celebration at a friend's wedding, where everyone sings and dances to the song "Gloria." The difference is that here she declines a younger man's invitation to dance and instead goes in to dance by herself in the crowd. What happens between those dances is her experience with a rather nice man who is quite her opposite. Where her grown children never call her, Rodolfo's (Sergio Hernandez) two daughters constantly interrupt him with their demands. Yet they neglected him entirely when he had weight-reduction surgery. That surgery liberated Rodolfo physically but he lags behind Gloria in internal freedom. Where Gloria and her children are healthily independent, his ex-wife and their two daughters are completely dependent upon him financially and emotionally — and he seems dependent upon their dependency. "Grow a pair," Gloria sensibly admonishes him.Rodolfo abandons Gloria at her son's birthday party inexcusably but understandably: she focuses entirely on her family, not her guest, when she brings him, insensitive to his reliance on the only person there he knows. It's as if she has no sense of such needs. His second abandonment — at an expensive hotel — introduces her to neediness, as she has to call on an older woman friend to bail her out.Gloria is a remarkable heroine because of her her resilience, her resolve to enjoy herself and her life. Her solidity contrasts to the agonized younger man in the apartment upstairs. To his credit, as Gloria Lelio cast an actor who is not the usual film beauty; indeed she shows the increasing effects of age. The sex scenes are lyrical but clear-eyed, refusing to hide or romanticize the sagging sallow flesh. As an extension of this self-acceptance the film features two starkly white animals, a furless cat and an albino peacock. Gloria comes to accept the eerie cat and takes heart from contemplating the freakish peacock, finding in them a reflection of her own outsider's nature. All three are suis generis. Gloria's personal revolution plays against a political one in Chile. Post-Pinochet the young revolutionaries reject the new society's materialism and greed. They find their country a simulacrum of a culture, not one based on valid values. In parallel liberations they reaffirm their national self and Gloria affirms her own.