Brief thoughts on Gloria Bell.

In 2013, Chilean director Sebastian Lelio released Gloria, starring Paulina Garcia as a woman finding happiness in her 50's. Interestingly enough, however, is that following A Fantastic Woman and Disobedience, 2019 sees him revisiting familiar territory. That's because Lelio himself remakes his earlier film in English, renamed Gloria Bell and starring Julianne Moore in the title role. Having not seen the original film, I came in fresh with no idea what to expect, but upon exiting, I felt richly rewarded and deeply engaged with its quaint, sometimes rocky slice of life storytelling.

Much of this almost exclusively rests on the shoulders of Gloria herself, played to perfection by a quite possibly career best Julianne Moore. Gloria is a very lonely woman, often spending her nights at the local clubs searching for dance partners, and coming home to the aggressive shouting of her neighbor, and a cat that somehow always sneaks its way in (Gloria is a cat lady, just without the cat. I found that detail amusing) Being a 12-year divorcee from her ex-husband Dustin (Brad Garrett), there's been a rift making family contact awkward. While her daughter Anne (Caren Pistorius) still has a good relationship with her, her son Peter (Michael Cera) has become noticeably distant, not helped by Peter taking care of his new child while his wife is away. Clearly there are issues and regrets that were never quite resolved, and with each of them drifting away in new directions, Gloria is left to her indifferent motions contemplating where to go next.

Even with other characters populating it, the movie is virtually a one woman show, as we're tied to Gloria in every single scene, following her through her mundane daily rituals. It almost begins to feel like a documentary, hence the authenticity behind it. Through that perspective, we see Gloria has become a woman quite literally dancing through the pain, trying to restore some balance to her bumpy and rocky personal life, and rediscovering her self-worth as she ages. All of it emphasized beautifully, naturally, and painfully through Moore's powerful lived-in performance. After some time, Gloria stops being a character, and feels like a real person, with Moore laying her soul (and sometimes more) bare through the subtlest of physical expressions, yielding continually deep layers and emotional resonance in the time spent with her. I would be very shocked if this doesn't go down as one of the year's best performances.

But she's not the only one, as she's surrounded by an also strong, if not overly focused ensemble cast. Given where our attention is, we only ever see outside forces through Gloria's eyes, sometimes leaving pictures intentionally vague, which Lelio uses for simple, but effective opportunities for his audience to fill in the gaps. Even so, it certainly helps that the other actors are just as game for their parts as Moore, giving some standout turns. Some like Holland Taylor as Gloria's mother in a couple brief, humorous, meaningful conversations, while her children Anne and Peter have more recurring presences. Even Brad Garrett, who only has one big scene midway through during a family birthday party, but lends some poignant - if awkward - insight into that former family dynamic. Other bit parts and cameos can be distracting and unspectacular, including Jeanne Tripplehorn and an inexplicable Sean Astin, but there's not a weak performance in here.

But the most attention in the supporting players is handed over to John Turturro, playing Gloria's new love interest and fellow-divorcee Arnold, in the best performance Turturro has given in years. Initially another one of Gloria's revolving dance partners, their spark soon evolves into something greater, finding newfound passion and zest for life in the other's presence, and Moore and Turturro have such an easy and remarkable chemistry. But Arnold is facing his own personal hang-ups, mainly those tethering him back to his family, his ex-wife and their two daughters. We get the impression that there's a lot more going on with Arnold than he's letting on, that behind his charismatic gaze there's a lot he's uncomfortable with, and after a while, Turturro has to sink into some thanklessly despicable places. He's both a figure for the happiness that Gloria deserves this late in her life, but also a toxic one to place her faith in.

But through it all, Gloria holds her movie together through such an unfiltered, candid honesty that was just endearing to me. While it may play to a bit of comedy, it isn't shy about embracing the unpleasant feelings that come from these experiences, shining through the pain with all the energy of its title lead on the dance floor. A wonderful early contender for one of the year's best films.


****1/2 / *****