The Glorias is a unique, timely, and essential film that tells the life story of Gloria Steinem. We follow her itinerant childhood and its influence on her life as a writer, activist, and organizer for women’s rights worldwide. She became nationally recognized as a leader and a spokeswoman for the American feminist movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Glorias arrives at a perfect time and is an ideal companion piece to this year’s Emmy winning Mrs. America, which features Gloria Steinem in a supporting role. It’s great to see this period in America more vividly from her eyes as Mrs. America made me want to learn more about her. The recent death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (who’s name dropped) also makes the release feel even more perfect. While being wildly different, Steinem is a feminist whose common goal was also equality like RBG.
This is the latest Amazon Prime original film, and it’s far from your typical biopic. Glorias is very much an experimental take, which isn’t surprising given that Julie Taymor directs the film. She is well known for directing the Oscar-winning biopic Frida and the experimental Beatles-inspired jukebox musical romantic Across The Universe.
The title fits the film perfectly as this isn’t a biopic dominated by just one actress, not at all. The film sees Oscar winner Julianne Moore play the iconic figure during the later stages of her life. In contrast, Oscar winner Alicia Vikander (Ex-Machina), Lulu Wilson (The Haunting Of Hill House), and Ryan Kiera Armstrong (It Chapter 2) play younger versions of Gloria. They all get time to shine as the film continually jumps in-between time frames letting us see different periods of her life, leading to what made her who she was. They all give their interpretation of the character an additional swag, which shows evolution. It a brilliant concept to see all those different stages.
Julianne and Alicia look to perfection and do the better work because they play her at later stages in her life where the topics and storyline are juicer and give the actresses more to dive into. But that’s not a knock at all on the two younger counterparts. If this film gets any awards traction, it will be due to the Oscar winners’ work. Especially Alicia, who does the most important job during the stages were Gloria is going through most of her self-discovery into the woman we’ve come to know. Julianne comes to play more during the second half of the film during her Ms. magazine years and beyond, and she is excellent. The magazine was the first national American feminist magazine, and the film and Julianne’s work does a great job of why it was so important and impactful. The real Gloria also makes a cameo, which made me smile, as it was perfect.
Taymor beautifully directs all 4 of them, even having scenes where older and younger Steinem versions interact while traveling on a bus. I found this to be a great choice by Taymor, incredible and unique, never have I seen a biopic take this approach. I loved it because many of us wish we could have conversations with our younger selves and tell us things get better, so I loved seeing it here.
However, despite thinking it’s a great choice, I feel she overdid them a bit. Had it been used more sparingly, it would have been more effective. The non-linear approach was great because it allows us to truly see this iconic figure’s evolution while also seeing all her layers. Gloria has lived a complicated life, and this approach allowed it to avoid the tropes that so many other biopics fall to. While her delivering a different biopic, it’s not shocking it wasn’t a traditional one, and I applaud Taymor for taking this approach.
The cinematography from frequent Scorsese collaborator Oscar nominee Rodrigo Prieto reunited with Taymor after Frida is fantastic. He gives each of these eras a distinctive look, with the use of stark black and white providing a striking contrast during the moments that Glorias chat together on the bus. The film, thanks to him, is a visual treat. There is a fantasy sequence straight out of The Wizard of Oz that I liked, but I know it will prove to be one of the more divisive aspects of the film. The costume department is a character in itself, as they are apart of Gloria’s evolution just as much as the work the actresses do. We see her go from wearing more traditional women’s clothing to her iconic look. She is associated with down to the perfect glasses.
While I didn’t care much for Antebellum, I did praise the excellent work by Janelle Monáe, and this yet another outstanding performance from her. She plays activist and Ms. magazine co-founder Dorothy Pitman Hughes, and she had incredible chemistry with Vikander. Their scenes together are highlights of the film. They give the film an energy boost, as their founding of Ms. magazine is the most exciting aspect of the film. This film is where Gloria, as the feminist and political activist, we know her to come to be genuinely, and Monáe, like Hughes, gives a great helping hand in that evolution.
Two time Oscar nominee Bette Midler as former Congresswoman Bella Abzug, Oscar winner Timothy Hutton as her father Leo, Lorraine Touissant as lawyer Flo Kennedy and Kimberly Guerrero as Cherokee activist Wilma Mankiller also provide excellent support. They all have a signature moment to stand out that stays with you. While it’s very much the story of Gloria Steinem, the supporting cast does an excellent job supporting the actresses portraying Gloria to bounce off. You feel the profound influence they had based on the work of these actors.
While I enjoyed the acting and its message, I did have issues with the film; mainly, its run time. The 140 minute run time made the movie dragged in parts, especially towards the end where it felt like it struggled to get to.
While I praise the editing of how it mixes the non-linear storyline, I invested in certain parts more than others. If plays it too safe and wasn’t as daring and radical as Gloria’s life story could have been, I would have also loved to have seen more about her life ourselves of her public persona to help me understand it more. She was married to Christian Bale’s dad David for four years until his death, and it’s only mentioned in passing. I would have loved to have seen some of that. Despite having said that, the film is very informative about why she is as vital.
It won’t be for everybody as I’ve already seen people review bomb it due to its style and those who have issues with films that tackle feminist views, but I enjoyed it despite its flaws. I highly recommend the movie if you support the themes that the film tackles as 50 years later, its themes are relevant as ever, especially recently.
