Keswick Film Club - Gloria

Synopsis

Yes, we have another comedy; that's two in one season (and there is more to come)! If I tell you this one comes from Chile, from the same producers as "No" that we saw last year, you might guess
this one has a bit more bite.

Gloria (Paulina García) is a 58 years-young woman who has been divorced for 10 years. She spends her days at work or helping her adult children (though, maybe, she’d like to see more of them?), but she yearns for a fulfilling life of her own; just wait till she hits the discos and singles bars in the evenings! When she meets Rodolfo (Sergio Hernández), her fun streak really comes into its own.

Will love win through for them at this later time in life? Is it the real thing, or will their pasts come back to haunt them and spoil it for them? This is obviously a bigger problem still in Chile (where everyone has a past to forget), but does director Sebastian Lelio want to bring this out, or just show that life is always full of possibilities, no matter how old you are?

Whatever his meaning, the result is full of out and out fun along the way. The script was written with Paulina Garcia in mind, and she was given a free hand to change things she didn't like - her exuberant acting is possibly due to this. Her resulting performance is central to the film and wins her high praise from most critics.

If the story had been set in the UK it would probably be based around 'online dating' nowadays - nowhere near as photogenic as a disco - but the story of ‘middle aged’ love second time around is global and highly relevant to the modern world (take my word for it...). By making it a laugh out loud comedy, Lelio allows us to enjoy their fun between the more serious moments.

Not many comedies make the grade for the highest honours, but this one has been nominated as Chile's entry for the Best Foreign film at the Oscars; let's hope it does well there, and for us.