Gloria Bell film review ★★★★★

Chilean director Sebastián Lelio set himself up for a challenge when he decided to embark on an English-language reworking one of his best-known works, Gloria. The 2013 comedy set in Santiago follows the life of an adventurous divorcee as she navigates the perilous waters of dating in her late fifties. One of the greatest feats of the remake would be finding someone who could emulate the same endearing charisma as Paulina García, who won best actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for the role.

Who better than the phenomenal Julianne Moore to fill García's shoes, an actor who has explored both the dark depths of ageing as well as its serene serendipity. Moore plays a woman who works a monotonous job as a manager at an insurance company. As a divorced middle-aged woman with two grown children, the world dictates that a life of fun and fiery romance is now well out of reach. Gloria rejects these norms, roving Los Angeles's dance floors to meet Arnold (John Turturro).

They begin a romance, but Gloria has already been divorced for 10 years whereas Arnold is new on the scene. He can’t shake the embarrassment of ‘dating-over-fifty’ and his demanding wife and grown daughters constantly divert his attention.

The film manages to evade Hollywood gushiness and a sugary bumper-sticker message of 'life begins at fifty'. There are scenes of genuine joy and wild abandon where Gloria dances the night away at fluorescent-lit clubs and participates in one of those faddish LA group laughing sessions. But these are tempered with achingly real scenes of loneliness. Moore spends a lot of the film floating around awkwardly, leaving voice messages gently reminding her children to call, and met with indifference when she pays them a visit.

As Gloria, Moore dazzles as a woman with so much love to give, and as Arnold, Turturro equally impresses as her polar opposite: an emotionally useless character who is always looking for the nearest exit. Family is at the heart of the film, of which it offers an honest portrayal. Mothers, daughters, sons, exes, boyfriends and wives – all forms of relationships are given a subtle yet incisive psychological portrait in this brave and bittersweet remake.