Gloria (2013)

Directed by: Sebastián Lelio

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Gloria (Paulina García) is a divorced mother in Santiago, Chile, who decides she doesn’t want to be alone and sets out to find romance.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): A running joke in the film is the neighbor’s hairless Sphynx cat which somehow manages to find its way into Gloria’s apartment. Gloria is freaked out by the cat and picks it up to set it outside.

Gloria - Gloria picking up hairless Sphynx cat from couch
Gloria - Gloria carrying hairless Sphynx cat to door

While Gloria is on the phone she sees the cat sitting nearby and asks Victoria (Luz Jiménez) to “get this bat out of here”. She confesses to Victoria that she doesn’t know what it is about the cat she doesn’t like but guesses it might be that it has a tail like a mouse. Victoria then tells her a story about how cats came into existence on Noah’s Ark from the nostrils of lions in order to keep the mouse population under control.

Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia on phone with hairless Sphynx cat in foreground

After Gloria is ditched by her boyfriend for the umpteenth time, Victoria takes her home. The cat is sitting on the couch. Victoria offers to remove the cat but Gloria says to just leave him as she slumps to the floor.

Gloria - hairless Sphynx cat on couch in apartment
Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia sees hairless Sphynx cat on couch
Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia sinks to floor with hairless Sphynx cat nearby

After this Gloria has a connection to the cat, who sleeps with her that night.

Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia sleeping with hairless Sphynx cat on bed

She wakes up to find the cat on her bed.

Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia in bed with hairless Sphynx cat

Later she is lying naked on the bed with the cat beside her.

Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia lying naked on bed with hairless Sphynx cat

She also feeds the cat and talks to him.

Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia feeding hairless Sphynx cat
Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia looking at hairless Sphynx cat on toilet in bathroom
Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia carrying hairless Sphynx cat from bathroom

When the boyfriend calls with excuses, Gloria rips the phone out of the wall. She then pets the cat.

Gloria - hairless Sphynx cat on bedside stand
Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia on phone beside hairless Sphynx cat
Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia petting hairless Sphynx cat

Eventually her troubled neighbor comes over and takes his cat back home, leaving Gloria alone again.

Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia with neighbor holding hairless Sphynx cat

Filmmaker Sebastián Lelio would remake this movie as an English language film called Gloria Bell starring Julianne Moore.

Gloria - Gloria Paulina Garcia with neighbor holding hairless Sphynx cat

Final Mewsings: Cats sometimes wish they could change owners.

Relevant Links:

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