Gloria

Gloria Cumplido (Paulina García) is in her late fifties and lives on her own. Divorced for more than twelve years, she has two grown children and a toddler grandson. While she loves her family, she is not ready to move into full-time grand-parenting. She is smart, savvy, and vivacious. Behind her coquettish demeanour and her oversized glasses is a woman who doesn't want to settle into a tepid relationship she's supposed to be grateful for. She wants a real romance, ideally with a partner who loves to dance. At night, Gloria visits her favourite clubs, filled with other middle-aged singles grooving on the dance floor. When she meets the recently separated Rodolfo (Sergio Hernández), it seems that she has found one last chance at love.

Brilliantly scripted and energized by a keen sense for music, Sebastián Lelio's fourth feature sensitively portrays a woman facing the reality of aging. Bubbly and exuberant, Gloria is unwilling to compromise in affairs of the heart. García, who won a Silver Bear at Berlin for her performance, is breathtaking as the singular Gloria; the camera never leaves her, as she perfectly transmits the world from the character's unique, often hilarious perspective.

Lelio's latest slowly captivates the audience as we accompany its title character on her search for love and adventure. Despite her missteps, Gloria always maintains her dignity — one can't help but cheer her on. Most rewarding is rediscovering along with Gloria that, while couples dancing is nice, there is nothing quite as liberating and fulfilling as learning to dance on one's own.

DIANA SANCHEZ