Review: This is one of those all too rare movies that manages to feel both happy and sad at the same time. The way this movie accomplishes this is simple, the film is real and at times all too real. Though there are times of only joy or sorrow in life, the majority of life is not that simple. Life is a mixture of complex emotions and so is this movie. This movie captures that part of life very well and it is rare watching this movie that you will feel just one emotion.
Helping this movie feel all the more real and powerful is the main character, Gloria Bell (Julianne Moore) herself. Here we have a complex and completely real character. This is a necessary ingredient to this movie. That's because the movie itself does not revolve around a traditional plot. In fact once you stop and think about it not much really happens in the storyline. This is instead a pure character study and nor only the story, but the way it is told is completely controlled by this character. She constantly lives in the moment and so does this film. It never stays too long on any one scene but instead naturally but quickly transitions to what happens next. Most of all though this is a character we can fully respect and love. The character is a fighter and no matter what happens she will never stop fighting. There are times that life brings her down, but she never allows it to keep her down, instead when she falls off the horse she always gets back on again. This is something we wish to find in ourselves and we are always proud to see her do it no matter what. She says at one point in the movie "When the world blows up I hope to go down dancing." Though the character loves dancing there is more to this line than just that. Her survivor instinct and inner strength allow her not to let anything else (even her world falling apart) keep her from living life to its fullest. What can seem like a quick joke, actually shows her and the movie's philosophy on life. One that may seem alarmingly simple, but is also powerful and true. Adding to the realness of this character is Julianne Moore's incredible performance. The way she plays this character includes a number of subtleties that make her feel more real. This is a complex character and the actress gives a performance to match.
Maybe the story of a woman simply living her life may not appeal to everybody and some may desire something bigger. However for the people this will appeal to (like me), this is a fantastic movie that will make you feel many emotions and will stay with you quite a bit after watching it.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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