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| Scene from Gloria Bell |
In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for years to come.
Released: March 22, 2019
Release Number: 79
Directed By: Sebastian Lelio
Starring: Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Caren Pistorius
Plot: A free-spirited woman in her 50s seeks out love at L.A. dance clubs.
With Hole in the Ground, A24 explored the struggles of motherhood through a horror film with a metaphorical sinkhole, hiding secrets that grew tenser the further in that you went. For their follow-up, they chose to make a story that tore away from the drama and focused on something equally shocking: the normal life of a woman in her late 50's. Featuring an Oscar-winning director and actress, the film was considered revolutionary for doing very simple things, such as watching Julianne Moore vape. It's a film that set out to humanize their experiences, recognizing that life is just as difficult for them as it is for those half their age. It's a simple film and one that pushes into the mundane with such affection that you can't deny its charm, especially when dealing with Moore's subdued performance.
The story begins with director Sebastian Lelio's original version of Gloria Bell with the 2013 Chilean film Gloria. From what has been said, they're very much the same film with the major difference being that it's set in Santiago and reflecting on a Chilean perspective. As the years went on, Lelio would produce cross-over hits like Disobedience and the Oscar-winning film A Fantastic Woman. Gloria was submitted for the Best Foreign Film category in 2013, but it failed to make the shortlist. With his power growing, he could work with just about anyone in the world.
He decided to work with Julianne Moore, who was about to win her own Oscar for Still Alice. With both of them gaining power, projects kept holding them back from collaboration. When time came, it was decided that Lelio would film Moore in the English language remake of Gloria with largely the same script. The only difference was that it was Americanized, with Moore adding touches that informed her own experiences. Lelio claimed that it was like jazz, making the familiar into something new. If Moore wanted to shoot scenes that revolved around folding laundry, then she could. This wasn't going to be an exceptional story, but it was going to make the struggles of a woman in her late-50s into art, making even the relationships into something more endearing as she wandered around dance clubs.
There isn't much else to the film beyond this, but it's easy to see what the appeal was. Gloria Bell was a character drama, desiring to find the soul of a generation that wasn't often seen in the cinema this way. There would be vaping, dancing in clubs, and creating this youthful undertone that showed that even in a world of struggles, they were capable of finding happiness and a balance in their lives.
The film would premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it would be soon bought up by the studio. It was also one of A24's first big successes of 2019. When it was given a limited release, it debuted with the second-highest per-screen average of the weekend behind Captain Marvel. When it expanded to more than 600 theaters, it would reach the eighth position in the box office with $1.8 million. Even if it was at best a modest success, it was one that showed the studio's ability to cater to audiences of different backgrounds, including an older crowd desiring a romantic drama that was far from conventional even at its most familiar moments.
The film was also one of their biggest hits critically in 2019. On critics' aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a 91% rating. It should be noted that its favorability rating with audiences was less positive, earning a 45% rating, which helped to show the divide in how it was seen. Those who loved the film sided with Claudia Puig of FilmWeek when she said that "[Julianne Moore] is always terrific, but she gives an especially terrific, well-rounded performance here. It's nuanced, vulnerable, strong, funny, emotionally rich and textured." Others agreed with Robbie Collin of Daily Telegraph (UK) who suggested "The thumping heart of all of it is Moore, whose magnetically watchable, fully inhabited, offhandedly sexy performance makes Gloria Bell's reflective longueurs shimmer..." Erick Estrada of Cinegarae was one of the few who disagreed, noting "Lelio relies too much on his original script and traces it with absolute reluctance in this new version that occurs on the other side of the planet and that consequently is broken down irremediably for sad and obvious reasons."
Whatever the case may be, Gloria Bell was a fell-good film that managed to appeal to those willing to listen closely to what Lelio had to say. It was tender and sweet, reflective of growing older and not losing that youthful spirit. It was a solid experience and one that showed the power of two Oscar-winning forces coming together to produce art that mattered to them. For A24's next film, they were going to explore a different kind of loneliness, and one whose weirdness preceded its release and made everyone wonder if the stories were true. Could High Life be as strange as it was made out to be? It was a journey into space unlike any other, and it had to be seen to be believed. It would be A24's weirdest film, at least until the fall season.
Up Next: High Life (2019)
With Hole in the Ground, A24 explored the struggles of motherhood through a horror film with a metaphorical sinkhole, hiding secrets that grew tenser the further in that you went. For their follow-up, they chose to make a story that tore away from the drama and focused on something equally shocking: the normal life of a woman in her late 50's. Featuring an Oscar-winning director and actress, the film was considered revolutionary for doing very simple things, such as watching Julianne Moore vape. It's a film that set out to humanize their experiences, recognizing that life is just as difficult for them as it is for those half their age. It's a simple film and one that pushes into the mundane with such affection that you can't deny its charm, especially when dealing with Moore's subdued performance.
The story begins with director Sebastian Lelio's original version of Gloria Bell with the 2013 Chilean film Gloria. From what has been said, they're very much the same film with the major difference being that it's set in Santiago and reflecting on a Chilean perspective. As the years went on, Lelio would produce cross-over hits like Disobedience and the Oscar-winning film A Fantastic Woman. Gloria was submitted for the Best Foreign Film category in 2013, but it failed to make the shortlist. With his power growing, he could work with just about anyone in the world.
He decided to work with Julianne Moore, who was about to win her own Oscar for Still Alice. With both of them gaining power, projects kept holding them back from collaboration. When time came, it was decided that Lelio would film Moore in the English language remake of Gloria with largely the same script. The only difference was that it was Americanized, with Moore adding touches that informed her own experiences. Lelio claimed that it was like jazz, making the familiar into something new. If Moore wanted to shoot scenes that revolved around folding laundry, then she could. This wasn't going to be an exceptional story, but it was going to make the struggles of a woman in her late-50s into art, making even the relationships into something more endearing as she wandered around dance clubs.
There isn't much else to the film beyond this, but it's easy to see what the appeal was. Gloria Bell was a character drama, desiring to find the soul of a generation that wasn't often seen in the cinema this way. There would be vaping, dancing in clubs, and creating this youthful undertone that showed that even in a world of struggles, they were capable of finding happiness and a balance in their lives.
The film would premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it would be soon bought up by the studio. It was also one of A24's first big successes of 2019. When it was given a limited release, it debuted with the second-highest per-screen average of the weekend behind Captain Marvel. When it expanded to more than 600 theaters, it would reach the eighth position in the box office with $1.8 million. Even if it was at best a modest success, it was one that showed the studio's ability to cater to audiences of different backgrounds, including an older crowd desiring a romantic drama that was far from conventional even at its most familiar moments.
The film was also one of their biggest hits critically in 2019. On critics' aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a 91% rating. It should be noted that its favorability rating with audiences was less positive, earning a 45% rating, which helped to show the divide in how it was seen. Those who loved the film sided with Claudia Puig of FilmWeek when she said that "[Julianne Moore] is always terrific, but she gives an especially terrific, well-rounded performance here. It's nuanced, vulnerable, strong, funny, emotionally rich and textured." Others agreed with Robbie Collin of Daily Telegraph (UK) who suggested "The thumping heart of all of it is Moore, whose magnetically watchable, fully inhabited, offhandedly sexy performance makes Gloria Bell's reflective longueurs shimmer..." Erick Estrada of Cinegarae was one of the few who disagreed, noting "Lelio relies too much on his original script and traces it with absolute reluctance in this new version that occurs on the other side of the planet and that consequently is broken down irremediably for sad and obvious reasons."
Whatever the case may be, Gloria Bell was a fell-good film that managed to appeal to those willing to listen closely to what Lelio had to say. It was tender and sweet, reflective of growing older and not losing that youthful spirit. It was a solid experience and one that showed the power of two Oscar-winning forces coming together to produce art that mattered to them. For A24's next film, they were going to explore a different kind of loneliness, and one whose weirdness preceded its release and made everyone wonder if the stories were true. Could High Life be as strange as it was made out to be? It was a journey into space unlike any other, and it had to be seen to be believed. It would be A24's weirdest film, at least until the fall season.
Up Next: High Life (2019)
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