Review: Gloria Bell

In Gloria Bell, Chilean director Sebastián Lelio's English-language remake of his 2013 film Gloria, Julianne Moore embodies the titular character with her characteristic incandescence and brilliance.

Gloria is fifty-something, twelve years divorced, a somewhat peripheral character in the lives of her two grown children, content with her life yet slightly restless with loneliness. She frequents singles bars where she meets and mingles with other people looking for love, but she also loves to dance and as she finds joy in letting herself go to the music, we find joy at observing her. The whole film is an observation, more so than usual, not only of a character who is not usually the centre of anyone's gaze, but also of an actress who has always been worth watching.

The film is a series of episodes as we see snapshots from her life - visiting her son (Michael Cera) as he cares for his baby whilst his wife is out of the picture; taking a yoga class taught by her daughter (Caren Pistorius), who then introduces her to her new boyfriend, a Swedish wave surfer; participating in a group laughter session; singing along to songs on the radio; consoling her friend and fellow insurance worker (Barbara Sukowa); and dealing with a noisy upstairs neighbour. Lelio and Moore make magic out of such mundanities, but also establishing that Gloria, whilst a marginalised figure, is in no way despairing or someone to be pitied.

One night on the dance floor, Gloria locks eyes with Arnold (John Turturro), a former Navy Officer now working as a paintball instructor. He's shy but not without confidence, and the two soon embark on a passionate relationship. Yet the warning signs are there from the jump - though he's been divorced for a year, he's yet to fully disentangle himself from his ex-wife and two needy daughters. When they call - and they do, often and during the most inconvenient times - he drops everything and goes running.

Though the premise is stretched a little thin, there's an abundance of soulfulness and a generosity of spirit that carries the film. Then there is Moore, whose virtuosity at emotional restraint is unmatched, rendering even the tiniest of flickers thunderous and palpably piercing. Gloria Bell may be an ordinary woman but, to use the title of Lelio's Academy Award-winning film, Moore turns her into a fantastic woman.

Gloria Bell

Directed by: Sebastián Lelio

Written by: Alice Johnson Boher, Sebastián Lelio

Starring: Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Michael Cera, Brad Garrett, Holland Taylor, Sean Astin, Tyson Ritter, Caren Pistorius, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Cassi Thomson, Rita Wilson, Alanna Ubach, Barbara Sukowa, Chris Mulkey