As a middle-aged person myself, I went to see 'Gloria' with a slight bit of trepidation, as I feared a film about a middle-aged protagonist might just end up being what middle-aged life is for many middle-aged people: mundane. And 'Gloria' does not disappoint on that score. It's a film that reeks of real-life--although utterly believable, most notably for the performance of the lead actor, Paulina Garcia, who plays the title role. Garcia is excellent as the 58 year old divorcée, who is not willing to accept the idea that middle-age is one step away from retirement and the old age home.
Gloria still works at a regular office job but yearns for excitement during her non-working hours. She frequents a nightclub where she likes to drink and dance and hit on men around her own age. She visits her married son and frets over her daughter, who is planning to move to Sweden after getting pregnant with a man over there. She also must put up with a crazy neighbor who constantly keeps her up during the evening with screaming fits, and is unable to keep his cat at bay, who keeps wandering into Gloria's apartment.
The 'Gloria' plot is a bit thin and designed to be somewhat amusing, but doesn't quite hit the mark. One night at the nightclub, Gloria meets Rodolfo, a middle-aged man who is recently divorced from his dependent and overbearing wife, and enters into a relationship with him. It turns out that Rodolfo is still too attached to both his ex-wife and two daughters and on two occasions, one a visit to Gloria's family at her son's place and on another, a vacation to a casino resort, Rodolfo deserts Gloria and disappears, only then to call her a day later, not to beg for forgiveness, but only to get her to understand why he still needs to attend to his family.
That's it in a nutshell and by the time Gloria dispenses with Rodolfo for good at the film's climax, there's a sense that these machinations have gone on a little too long. 'Gloria' is a little too much like real life and perhaps not dramatic enough to sustain our interest the entire way. Nonetheless, if one is willing to put up with the slow pacing and cinema-verité approach, the acting by Ms. Garcia is enough to keep one glued to the screen. Here is honesty and depth of passion all combined into one, proving that one doesn't give up during middle-age, despite all the bittersweet setbacks.
Gloria still works at a regular office job but yearns for excitement during her non-working hours. She frequents a nightclub where she likes to drink and dance and hit on men around her own age. She visits her married son and frets over her daughter, who is planning to move to Sweden after getting pregnant with a man over there. She also must put up with a crazy neighbor who constantly keeps her up during the evening with screaming fits, and is unable to keep his cat at bay, who keeps wandering into Gloria's apartment.
The 'Gloria' plot is a bit thin and designed to be somewhat amusing, but doesn't quite hit the mark. One night at the nightclub, Gloria meets Rodolfo, a middle-aged man who is recently divorced from his dependent and overbearing wife, and enters into a relationship with him. It turns out that Rodolfo is still too attached to both his ex-wife and two daughters and on two occasions, one a visit to Gloria's family at her son's place and on another, a vacation to a casino resort, Rodolfo deserts Gloria and disappears, only then to call her a day later, not to beg for forgiveness, but only to get her to understand why he still needs to attend to his family.
That's it in a nutshell and by the time Gloria dispenses with Rodolfo for good at the film's climax, there's a sense that these machinations have gone on a little too long. 'Gloria' is a little too much like real life and perhaps not dramatic enough to sustain our interest the entire way. Nonetheless, if one is willing to put up with the slow pacing and cinema-verité approach, the acting by Ms. Garcia is enough to keep one glued to the screen. Here is honesty and depth of passion all combined into one, proving that one doesn't give up during middle-age, despite all the bittersweet setbacks.