While The Glorias<\/em> doesn\u2019t boast a nuanced look at Steinem, at least it isn\u2019t your standard biopic. Time and place are slippery, and the script from Taymor and Sarah Ruhl refuses to follow a linear structure. The film bounces back and forth between periods of Steinem\u2019s life, even as the larger arc proceeds according to historical record. Taymor\u2019s film does more than play with time; she has the four Glorias interacting, often together in black and white on a vintage bus. Occasionally a different version of Gloria steps into another Gloria\u2019s shoes: Moore\u2019s oldest Gloria takes the place of a younger, less confident one in a moment of public harassment, while the vulnerable Armstrong girl tearfully watches an angry crowd surround the adult Gloria\u2019s car. It\u2019s a creative approach that comments on how our past shapes us, and our younger selves still reside within. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The scenes with Armstrong and Wilson\u2019s Glorias reveal a childhood tinged by uncertainty but filled with love. Steinem\u2019s father, Leo (Timothy Hutton), is always scheming, undependable in everything but his affection for his daughter. Her more straightlaced mother, Ruth (Enid Graham), should be the constant in her daughter\u2019s young life, but chronic illness turns Gloria into her mother\u2019s caretaker. Moments with Vikander\u2019s grown-up Gloria find her traveling through India and fighting sexism in newsrooms, while her older counterpart played by Moore is the icon recognized by strangers for all she has done for feminist causes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The movie works hard to be inclusive, with nods to Steinem\u2019s work battling racism and classism in addition to sexism. Other activists \u2014 Dolores Huerta (Monica Sanchez), Dorothy Pitman Hughes (Janelle Mon\u00e1e), Bella Abzug (Bette Midler), Flo Kennedy (Lorraine Toussaint), and Wilma Mankiller (Kimberly Guerrero) \u2014 make appearances on screen and in the Glorias\u2019 lives, but their scenes alternate between channeling the fist-pumping energy of a rally to feeling like you\u2019re reading a Wikipedia entry about second-wave feminism. Toussaint is particularly magnetic, though the usually boisterous Midler doesn\u2019t leave much of an impression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Given that The Glorias<\/em> is directed by the always distinct Taymor, the film does bear her signature style, if only in spurts. Surreal animation pops in briefly, but it seems like it\u2019s less than a minute or two of the 140-minute running time. Steinem\u2019s story \u2014 fascinating on its own merits \u2014 doesn\u2019t need the embellishments, but much of this movie outside of its unconventional structure feels like it could have been directed by anyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While The Glorias<\/em> has whole stretches that don\u2019t reveal its authorship, it\u2019s equally opaque about its subject. It doesn\u2019t just leave the audience with an entirely positive picture of Steinem; it\u2019s a portrait that doesn\u2019t communicate much about her beyond biographical details. Sure, the credits roll and we have learned that she has a talent for tap dancing, but there\u2019s little psychological depth here. The film is ambitious in its scope, covering 80 years in an impressive life, but that breadth leaves little opportunity to really explore who Steinem is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Glorias<\/em> is clearly (and rightfully)\u00a0in awe of Steinem and all she has accomplished. It lets the audience reflect on her impact, demonstrating how far we\u2019ve come \u2014 and how far we haven\u2019t \u2014 on still-relevant issues like reproductive rights. However, with its idealized approach, the result cannot give the icon her full due. Taymor\u2019s film doesn\u2019t proffer a biography of a real person; instead, this feels like the deified version, which shortchanges Steinem, her human story, and everyone she has inspired along the way. ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/glorias2-1024x682.jpg\")
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