I wouldn’t exactly call Gloria Bell a rom-com – its quiet simplicity and stellar performances easily separate it from the pack in that often watered-down genre – but that label will work as a jumping off point. At a glance, yes, it has many of the trappings we’re used to seeing and it does mostly follow the tried and true formula, but there’s more to Gloria Bell than meets the eye. Rom-coms are meant to pull at the heartstrings and drum up relatable emotional responses (even if the situations contrived are anything but relatable), and Gloria Bell certainly achieves this. The difference, though, is that the achievement is convincing, and the emotional response is earned. Gloria Bell has humanity and realism in a genre full of outlandish tactics and schmaltzy reconciliations. It’s got bite and heart, and I believed every minute of it.
Gloria Bell is a remake of director Sebastián Lelio’s own Chilean-Spanish film, Gloria (2013). I haven’t seen the original but tracking it down is now on my list of things to do. Aside from a difference in language, I suspect the two versions don’t differ all that much. Gloria Bell possesses universal themes that effortlessly transcend country of origin. Gloria (Julianne Moore) is a middle-aged divorcée who spends her nights at dance clubs for aging couples and singles. Her life is mundane and uneventful. She sits somewhere between mediocrity and boredom with a go-nowhere job and a lonely social life.
One night at a club she meets Arnold (John Turturro), a recently divorced fellow with very clingy, grown children. As their relationship begins to bud, so do their realizations about each other – in awkward and sometimes cringe-worthy ways. As the events unfold, it’s very easy to root for Gloria and be on her side, but also very easy to see where she’s going wrong. Moore is at the top of her game in making us understand her character, and even though we can see her making mistakes and embarrassing herself, she’s still a decent person deserving of our affection. Turturro’s Arnold, while spineless and weak-willed, is capable of sympathy too, even if his actions aren’t always understandable.
There isn’t a whole lot of flash at work in Gloria Bell, but there doesn’t have to be. It’s the story of an everyday woman uncomfortably navigating a workaday life, but it’s the honesty and humanity behind the story that propels it past the ordinary. Romantic comedies don’t generally offer these kinds of performances and they rarely feature this age group. When everything is added up, it’s hard to escape the magnetism of Gloria Bell.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.