The previews led me to expect a feel-good movie and, so,
when a movie doesn’t meet expectations, there’s disappointment. “Gloria,” a
Chilean film that looks at middle age is not quite a comedy, not quite a drama
and not really feel good. Gloria (Paulina Garcia) is a middle-aged divorcee
trying to remain vibrant, but it’s hard when no one really seems to notice her.
Her children, Pedro (Diego Fontecilla) and Ana (Fabiola Zamora) are grown and
leading busy lives. She’s lonely, but not desperately so and she keeps busy
with dancing, yoga, self-improvement classes and other social activities. She
eventually forms a steady relationship with Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez), but he
is unable – or unwilling – to extricate himself from his daughters, aged 27 and
31, and his ex-wife, who constantly call him.
Not a whole lot happens in terms of story so the movie never
quite picks up a head of steam. Director Sebastian Lelio paces the action as a
series of sketches, and the hit-or-miss quality of the material makes for a
bumpy ride. Rodolfo’s woes become increasingly repetitive, as does Gloria’s
seemingly acceptance of this behavior. In the end, Gloria might be wiser, but I
was disappointed. Subtitles. 2/12/14
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