At the midpoint of Sebastian Lelio's "Gloria," the main character Gloria (played by Paulina Garcia) engages in a family reunion with her two grown children and her ex-husband. Also present at the event is her new boyfriend Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez) and he is working hard to adapt to his new, but seemingly uncomfortable circumstance. This particular scene is actually the only time in the entire film in which the central character is not thrust into Rodolfo's uncomfortable predicament, a theme that dominates the entirety of the film.
Set in Santiago, Chile, "Gloria" starts off by showcasing its title character at a party attempting to attract attention from other single men. After failing in her mission, she returns home where Lelio gives the viewer a taste of her quotidian lifestyle. An ugly, deformed cat constantly reappears in her apartment. A neighbor on the floor above haunts her at nights with his violent panic attacks. Gloria's two children have lives of their own with little time to dedicate for her. In another sequence, Gloria sings along to lyrics of a song outlining her lonely condition. In essence, the midlife clock has struck for Gloria and the pumpkin carriage has long disappeared.
The character soon meets the aforementioned Rodolfo and attempts a romance and new life with him. Unfortunately, Rodolfo is the polar opposite of Gloria. Whereas she is cut off from the rest of her whole family, his daughter and ex-wife depend on him; as the film develops the viewer will realize that the dependency is reciprocal for Rodolfo. The attempts of Gloria and Rodolfo to balance their romance from the turbulence of their previous state dominate the film.
Lelio manages to encapsulate the existential crisis of individuals trying to alter the course of their own respective destinies and in some ways opts for a tragic portrayal; however, the film's ending not only seems to reaffirm the individual's ability to cope with his condition, but also to thrive in it.
The aforementioned central scene with the family is arguably the greatest sequence in the entire film as it showcases the unstable relationships between all of Gloria's family members; it is at this moment that the viewer realizes how similar they all are. Gloria's son Pedro (Diego Fontecilla) is a striving violinist with a single child, but has no one but his family to help him care for the child. Her daughter Ana (Fabiola Zamora) is now pregnant and is leaving the country to seek out a new opportunity with her boyfriend. Meanwhile Gloria's ex-husband comes to the realization that he has removed himself from his children and has made himself an outsider to their secrets and lives. In one riveting moment, this character explodes with fury in the middle of conversation as he recognizes that he should have been around to take care of his children; he is coming to terms with a condition he had ignored up to this point.
This film is nothing if not for a terrific performance from Garcia. The actress keeps the character mild-mannered behind her massive eye glasses but betrays a tremendous amount of vulnerability behind her gaze. Garcia must also be given credit for a hugely physical portrayal that showcases a number of explicit sex scenes with Hernandez. Some of these moments are filled with pure tenderness, but Lelio slowly moves away from the romanticism of the act and toward a more aggressive and forceful portrayal that underlines the growing tensions between the two central characters.
Hernandez's portrayal of Rodolfo is a perfect counterpoint to Garcia's Gloria. While Gloria hides her pain, Rodolfo is an emotional mess that has no ability to filter what he is truly feeling and his attempts at sincerity are betrayed by his lack of it. In one particular scene, Rodolfo tells Gloria that he will not run back to his ex-wife and daughters because he wants to remain with her. The words mean one thing, but the stuttering, hesitation, and emphatic delivery make it obvious that Rodolfo does not mean what he says.
While the film's structure meanders, the pacing is quite solid throughout. However, the final act of the film does start to slow down tremendously as Lelio repeatedly showcases the same beats to little or no avail. Gloria constantly puts drops in her eyes; while the viewer knows why, the action itself does not merit extra viewings or portrayals.
Ultimately, "Gloria" comes off as a powerful affirmation of life's struggles with identity. Paulina Garcia gives a breathtaking performance in the title role while Lelio orchestrates a superb intimate, portrayal of mid-life crisis and the attempts at coping with one's increasingly lonely condition.