Gloria (2013)

A story set in Santiago and centered on Gloria, a free-spirited older woman, and the realities of her whirlwind relationship with a former naval officer whom she meets out in the clubs.

Director:

Sebastián Lelio

Writers:

Sebastián Lelio (screenplay), Gonzalo Maza (screenplay)

Stars:

Paulina García, Sergio Hernández, Diego Fontecilla

19 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paulina García	...	Gloria
Sergio Hernández	...	Rodolfo
Diego Fontecilla	...	Pedro
Fabiola Zamora	...	Ana
Luz Jiménez	...	Victoria (as Luz Jiminez)
Alejandro Goic	...	Gabriel
Liliana García	...	Flavia
Coca Guazzini	...	Luz
Hugo Moraga	...	Hugo
Cristián Carvajal	...	Vecino
Eyal Meyer	...	Theo
Tito Bustamante	...	Joaquín
Antonia Santa María	...	María
Álvaro Viguera	...	Novio de María
Marcela Said	...	Jugadora

Storyline

Divorced for more than ten years, Gloria, a vibrant 58-year-old office clerk in Santiago and mother of two grown-up kids, craves for adventure, refusing to spend the rest of her life in solitude and self-pity. Instead, the vivacious Gloria embraces her freedom, and because of her love for dance and an aching longing for companionship, she will meet Rodolfo, a recently divorced former naval officer, and will daringly decide to give love a second chance. Regretfully; however, Rodolfo comes with baggage, and even though Gloria is sincerely attracted to him, reality's harsh truth will inevitably bring her face-to-face with towering obstacles, rather than undiluted excitement and ardent passion. In the end, Gloria alone, yet surrounded by people, sad but at the same time happy, will she ultimately find the strength to overcome them?

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | male frontal nudity | female frontal nudity | nudity | penis | 

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Taglines:

Was it something that they said?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, some graphic nudity, drug use and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Chile Spain

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

9 May 2013 (Chile)

Also Known As:

Glorija

Filming Locations:

Santiago, Chile

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$56,454, 26 January 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,106,556, 11 May 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fabula, Nephilim Producciones, Forastero

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Chile to the Oscars 2014 best foreign language film category.

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Quotes

Rodolfo: If I were a peach, you would be a tree. And if you were a tree, I would be its sap, flowing through your branches like blood. And if I were blood, I would live in your heart...

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Connections

Remade as Gloria Bell (2018)

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Soundtracks

Boquita de caramelo
Written by Oscar Hidalgo
Performed by Los Vikings 5

User Reviews

Life goes on

Greetings again from the darkness. One of my favorite comparison points with non-U.S. films is to imagine how Hollywood might take the same story and twist it for mass appeal. It's pretty easy to imagine this one as a flat-out comedy with Diane Keaton or Goldie Hawn in the lead. Chilean writer/director Sebastian Lelio takes a much more interesting approach giving us a real world perspective on a divorced middle-aged woman seeking companionship and emotional fulfillment.

Paulina Garcia plays Gloria, a professional woman who embraces the free-spirited lifestyle that being long divorced allows. She has two adult children who are doing just fine in life, and a neighbor with noisy habits and a bothersome hairless cat. Gloria enjoys singing outloud to the car radio, and drinking and dancing at a local nightclub while maintaining hope that a worthy life companion is still in the cards. In other words, she is neither superwoman nor emotional train wreck. And thanks to the exceptional talents of Ms. Garcia, we are drawn to Gloria and care what happens.

We witness Gloria's flirtatious glances across the dance floor to Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez). We next witness a middle-aged bedroom encounter that doesn't take advantage of the body-double directory. Once the girdle is removed (his), the two adults enjoy the moment, while vividly reminding us that all actors (and certainly all people) don't look like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Companionship has always been based on emotions, not aesthetics ... despite Hollywood's efforts to prove otherwise.

One of the more interesting aspects of following the relationship between Rodolfo and Gloria is that, in life, we all carry baggage. Sometimes our own baggage is easier to deal with than that of others. The birthday party for Gloria's son and the ongoing crisis with Rodolfo's ex-wife and daughters convey just how difficult it can be to recognize the effects of such scenarios.

The class of this sub-genre is the 1978 film "An Unmarried Woman" with Jill Clayburgh. Of course, in that one, Ms. Clayburgh was significantly younger than the Gloria character here. Still, some of the obstacles are similar and both feature terrific lead performances from actresses. The role of music in Gloria's life is especially poignant. At one party, there is a wonderful duet of "Aquas de Marco" (Waters of March) originally written by Antonio Carlos (Tom) Jobim. The song and the movie are about the daily progressions of life. The ending is especially spot on thanks to the original version of "Gloria" by Umberto Tozzi (re-made in the U.S. by Laura Branigan).

It's quite easy to view this story through Gloria's eyes and fully understand her "grow some" comment. However, for a different perspective, try looking at things through Rodolfo's eyes. Maybe Gloria is a bit more self-centered than what she appears at first glance. There are a couple of scenes ... the mirror and the peacock ... that hint at this same ideal. This appears to be Mr. Lelio's way of telling us that life is just not that simple and that we all have defense mechanisms that impact how we are perceived by others. It's just not as clear-cut as the initial reaction.