Gloria (2013 film)

Gloria is a 2013 Chilean-Spanish drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio. The film premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival,[1] where Paulina García won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.[2] It was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] The film was selected as the Chilean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards,[4] but it was not nominated. It won Best Ibero-American Film at the 1st Platino Awards. Sebastián Lelio remade Gloria in 2018 as Gloria Bell, starring Julianne Moore and John Turturro.

Gloria
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySebastián Lelio
Produced by
Written by
  • Gonzalo Maza
  • Sebastián Lelio
StarringPaulina García
CinematographyBenjamín Echazarreta
Edited by
  • Sebastián Lelio
  • Soledad Salfate
Release date
  • 10 February 2013 (2013-02-10) (Berlin)
  • 9 May 2013 (2013-05-09) (Chile)
Running time
  • 105 minutes (Berlin)
  • 110 minutes
Country
  • Chile
  • Spain
LanguageSpanish

Plot

In Santiago, Chile, 10 years after her divorce and with her children grown up, 58 year-old Gloria decides she does not want to spend her days alone. She starts going to singles discos, where she meets and immediately forms a relationship with Rodolfo, who operates an amusement park on the outskirts of the city. Seven years older than Gloria and recently divorced himself, Rodolfo remains incredibly close to his two grown-up daughters. Neither one has a job, and together with Rodolfo's ex-wife, rely on Rodolfo for full financial support. As a result, he never turns off his mobile phone, answering it immediately if his daughters call (regardless of where he is). He takes Gloria on a date to his amusement park where the two share a kiss.

After a successful lunch with Rodolfo and her friends, Gloria introduces Rodolfo to her family at a birthday dinner for her son. Among the other guests is her ex-husband, Gabriel. When Gloria's family ask Rodolfo about his career, he replies he was an officer in the Chilean Navy and struggles to keep up with the barrage of questions about his personal life. After some heavy drinking, Gloria becomes too friendly with Gabriel, much to Rodolfo's discomfort. He leaves the room to answer a call from his daughter and does not return to the party. Furious at this, Gloria breaks off their relationship the following day. Rodolfo meets Gloria at her office, defending his actions at the party and reprimanding Gloria for her behavior.

After many failed efforts, Rodolfo succeeds in getting Gloria to accompany him to a luxury hotel beside the sea at Viña del Mar. Upon arriving at their room, one of Rodolfo's daughters calls to say that her mother has been in an accident and Rodolfo must come home right away. Gloria attempts to leave but Rodolfo stops her, saying he will not abandon their relationship. She strips and they have sex.

That night, they go down to the hotel dining room, where they make plans to go away on vacation as a couple. Rodolfo's phone continues to ring but he does not answer. Gloria asks to see his phone and then drops it into his soup. He retrieves his phone and excuses himself from the table, which Gloria assumes is to use the men's room. Rodolfo never returns. An upset Gloria heads for the bar and drinks heavily, leading to a wild night at the casino, then the disco, through the city streets, and wakes up with a terrible hangover on the beach the next morning. When the hotel receptionist tells her that Rodolfo has checked out with her things and the room is no longer available, she calls her cleaning lady, Victoria, to come and fetch her. They return to Santiago by bus several hours later.

Back home, Rodolfo makes numerous attempts to call Gloria at her home without success. Gloria retrieves one of Rodolfo's paintball guns from her trash bin and puts it back in her car. She drives to his home and splatters the front of his house with green paintballs before shooting Rodolfo in the groin as he tries to enter the house while carrying groceries. His family runs out in horror and yells obscenities at Gloria, who returns to her car and speeds away. She heads to the wedding she had originally planned to attend, but arrives partway through the reception. Her friends express their gratitude and tell her to enjoy the party. Despite declining multiple invitations to dance, Gloria stands up when the DJ puts on her theme tune, Gloria by Umberto Tozzi, and takes to the dance floor, allowing herself to get lost in the music.

Cast
  • Paulina García as Gloria Cumplido
  • Sergio Hernández as Rodolfo Fernández
  • Diego Fontecilla as Pedro
  • Fabiola Zamora as Ana
  • Alejandro Goic as Daniel
  • Coca Guazzini as Luz
  • Hugo Moraga as Hugo
  • Luz Jiménez as Victoria
  • Cristián Carvajal as Vecino
  • Liliana García as Flavia
  • Antonia Santa María as María
  • Eyal Meyer as Theo
  • Marcial Tagle as Marcial
  • Marcela Said as Marcela
  • Pablo Krögh as Pablo

Reception

The film received excellent reviews when it premiered at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival, topping both Screen International's Screen jury poll of international critics,[5] and IndieWire's critics poll of the best films screened at Berlin in 2013.[6] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 99% based on 128 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's consensus is "Marvelously directed by Sebastian Lelio and beautifully led by a powerful performance from Paulina Garcia, Gloria takes an honest, sweetly poignant look at a type of character that's all too often neglected in Hollywood."[7] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 83 out of 100, based on reviews from 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[8]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter writes "it’s hard to imagine anyone with a heart and a brain not responding to the quiet delights and stunning intimacy of Chilean director Sebastian Lelio’s account of the personal evolution of a 58-year-old divorcee, played with scrupulous honesty and intelligence by the wonderful Paulina Garcia" and "Funny, melancholy and ultimately uplifting, Sebastian Lelio's enormously satisfying spell inside the head and heart of a middle-aged woman never puts a foot wrong".[9]

Variety writes "Perceptive and unerringly sympathetic, 'Gloria' has the makings of an arthouse sleeper".[10]

Mark Adams of Screen International writes "A delightfully astute and compassionate delve into the life of a 58 year-old divorcee looking for company, romance and perhaps even love, director Sebastián Lelio’s engaging, amusing and oddly uplifting Gloria is a film that will strike a chord with audiences of a certain age. It is driven by a quite wonderful performance from Paulina Garcia, who should snag best actress awards at every festival the film plays at."[11]

Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film an A and describes it as a "breakthrough" for actress Paulina Garcia.[12]

Awards
Year Event Recipient Award Result
2012 San Sebastian International Film Festival Sebastián Lelio (director)
Pablo Larraín (producer)		 Films in Progress Award - Best Film[13] Won
2013 63rd Berlin International Film Festival Paulina García Silver Bear for Best Actress[14] Won
Sebastián Lelio Golden Bear[14] Nominated
Sebastián Lelio Jury Prize Won
Hawaii International Film Festival Sebastián Lelio Best Film Nominated
Paulina García Best Actress Won
Independent Spirit Awards Sebastián Lelio Best Foreign Film Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle Sebastián Lelio Best Foreign Language Film Nominated
2014 Goya Awards Sebastián Lelio Best Spanish Language Foreign Film Nominated
National Board of Review Awards Sebastián Lelio Top Foreign Films Won
Platino Awards Sebastián Lelio Best Ibero-American Film Won
Sebastián Lelio Best Director Nominated
Paulina García Best Actress Won
Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza Best Screenplay Won

See also

References
  1. "First Films for the Competition and Berlinale Special". berlinale. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  2. "Prizes of the International Jury". berlinale. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  3. "Toronto film festival 2013: the full line-up". The Guardian. London. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  4. Mango, Agustin. "Oscars: Chile Nominates 'Gloria' in Foreign-Language Category". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  5. "Gloria tops Screen jury's Berlin films". Screen International. 19 February 2013.
  6. "Critics Rank the Best Films and Performances From the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival". IndieWire. 19 February 2013.
  7. "Gloria". Rotten Tomatoes. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  8. "Gloria". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  9. Rooney, David (2 October 2013). "Gloria: Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. "Review: 'Gloria'". Variety. 10 February 2013.
  11. Adams, Mark (10 February 2013). "Gloria". Screen International.
  12. "Berlin Review: Touching Chilean Midlife Crisis Dramedy 'Gloria' A Breakthrough For Star Paulina Garcia". IndieWire.
  13. "Chilea's Lelio wins Films in Progress in San Sebastián". screendaily. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  14. "Paulina García gana Oso de Plata a mejor actriz por "Gloria" en Festival Internacional de Cine de Berlín". La tercera. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
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