"Gloria" was fun, life-affirming

Sunday night my wife and I watched Gloria, an enjoyable film from Chilean director Sebastion Lelio, at the Music Hall in Portsmouth.

Happily divorced, fifty-something Gloria (played wonderfully by Paulina Garcia) enjoys a routine but seemingly fulfilling life in Santiago, frequenting nightclubs catering to older people and dancing many nights away.

Her job, never made clear but inconsequential to the story, appears fairly mundane, but lacking in stress. Two adult children are peripheral but obviously a large part of her life, as is the son of her own, recently-separated son.

Gloria seems literally full of life. Always singing, always laughing, free and confident in her opinions, she takes yoga classes and spends time with friends. She's conscious of her appearance, without being obsessed.

Gloria is the model of a strong, mature, contented woman. Picture Marge Gunderson in 1996's Fargo, but with no blood and less gun-play (just watch the film, you'll understand what I mean).

Aside from frequent invasions of her home by a neighbor's hairless cat, life is good for Gloria.

Then one night she meets Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez) and everything changes. Smitten from the moment he lays eyes on her, fun-park owner Rodolfo sweeps Gloria off her feet and they begin a whirlwind courtship. 

"It's so physical, so concrete, what happens to me with you," he tells her, shortly after they meet. 

But something isn't quite right. Recently divorced, Rodolfo seems never to have cut the cord from his two adult daughters, and breaks off important engagements with Gloria to cater to the needs of his children and his ex. Bitten once, Gloria reluctantly gives him a second chance, only to be rejected once more. 

This isn't the story of love lost, or a woman scorned; Gloria would never want your pity, and she isn't bitter. It's the story of confidence, self-awareness, and humans being. Most importantly, Gloria always strives to be true to herself — most definitively in the closure she gets with Rodolfo.

Gloria allows you to visually experience the triumph of songs like "I Will Survive" without the temper tantrum and narcissism of "You Oughta Know". Future filmmakers hoping to portray women in a positive, independent, feisty and yet composed way have a lot more to learn from Lelio (and screenplay co-writer Gonzalo Maza) than the hyper-feminist caricatures of Callie Khouri.

At 110 minutes, the film moves along at a comfortable, believable pace and leaves the viewer feeling as if everything will be alright. Fun and life-affirming, Gloria is well worth your time. It's playing at the Music Hall again tonight at 7pm.