Gloria Bell: Keep Dancin'

When my friend Katie suggested we go watch Gloria Bell in the theater, I halfheartedly agreed. I think Julianne Moore is great, but I didn't think the movie would amount to much, a post-Oscars release that was being dropped into the void. Thankfully I did go to the theater (the fact that Katie brought cupcakes certainly nudged me along), and I am so glad I did. This movie was a revelation, and in the fall when we get to Oscar prognostication, I wouldn't be surprised if Moore is still in the Best Actress conversation.

Moore plays Gloria, a divorced woman with two adult kids who is out living her life. She works for an insurance company during the day, conducting terribly compassionate phone calls with the people filing claims after they get into accidents. And sometimes at night she goes to a night club to sip cosmos and dance to some classic tunes. It is here that she runs into Arnold (John Turturro), a love interest who will gradually upend her life.

You deserve to see this Julianne Moore performance unfurl over the course of an hour and a half so I will not divulge any further plot details. What I will divulge is that she is magnificent, portraying a woman who is trying so hard to experience life to the fullest, but constantly having to deal with its ups and downs. Written and directed by Sebastian Lelio (based on his 2013 Chilean-Spanish film, Gloria), this movie is a true woman's picture, wholly focused on the actress at the helm of the enterprise and letting her tell the audience her tale. The supporting cast are all wonderful and have their parts to play (special shout-out to Holland Taylor, who plays Gloria's mother and comes to her aid in rather spectacular fashion at one point), but there's never any doubt as to who is the star of this film. We are always focused on Moore's face, needing it to tell us how to feel in each moment - should we be happy, sad, concerned, furious? Sometimes she's all of those things over the course of one minute. It's an emotional rollercoaster you want to keep riding.

The movie features an impeccable soundtrack, with a score that constantly plays on the Gloria motif until you can't wait to hear Laura Branigan belt out the real thing. You know it's coming, but it's such a wonderful revelation when it does, and frankly everything that happens in that one scene is the reason why I go to the movies. So if you're in the mood for something that's a little bit bittersweet but ultimately life-affirming, grab yourself a cupcake and dance along with Gloria Bell.