FANTASIA FEST 2021: ‘Ghosting Gloria’ Is Smart, Steamy, and Supernatural

The French call the climaxing “la petite mort,” meaning “the little death.” Though we don’t like to think about it, death and life are two concepts that walk side by side rather than existing on opposing spectrums. Would life have meaning if death was not waiting for all of us in the end? What about love? Ghosting Gloria employs the unconventional lens of death in a cheeky exploration of sex, joy, and what it is to live! As it turns out sex and death are not the strangest of bedfellows.

Ghosting Gloria is directed by Marcela Matta with writer and co-direct Maura Sarser. The film stars Federico Guerra, Nenan Pelenur, Mauro Sarser, and Stefania Tortorella as Gloria.

In Ghosting Gloria, Gloria is a quiet bookstore clerk that desperately needs to get laid. Or, at least, that’s what her friend Sandra says. At age thirty, Gloria is perpetually exhausted by the men she meets, is unlucky in love, and has never experienced a climax! After getting fed up with listening to the dynamite sex life of her neighbors through the thin walls of her apartment, Gloria starts fresh in a new space and instantly feels… a presence. As it turns out, Gloria’s new home is haunted by an amorous ghost that introduces her to pleasure like she’s never known and opens her heart (and her body) up to the possibility of love.

The charm of Ghosting Gloria is owed entirely to its sweet, quirky vibes. The film brings to mind dark comedies like Pushing Daisies or Edward Scissorhands, where the bitter darkness is tempered by its sweetness. Ghosting Gloria appreciates and delights in the awkwardness of dating and the silly side of sexuality, which makes it all the more enjoyable. The entire film bounces along at a merry gait, never taking itself or its characters too seriously.

At its core, Ghosting Gloria is an uplifting story of a woman’s awakening. Her brush with death (and her experience with more intimate touches) is the catalyst that pushes her to live. By placing female sexual pleasure at the focus, what Ghosting Gloria actually does is permit its heroine to finally put the emphasis on what she wants. Discovering her sexual pleasure goes hand in hand with discovering what she wants in a partner, what her dreams are, and how she hopes to move through the world. The film is brilliantly written and Stefania Tortorella breathes vivacious life into one of the most lovable female characters in film, this year.

Ghosting Gloria is an equally silly and steamy story of self-love. Deftly flipping the tropes of both haunting horror and romantic comedy on its head, Ghosting Gloria teases the viewer with an unconventional love story with enough heart to send any viewer to complete satisfaction. A highlight of this year’s Fantasia Fest lineup!

Ghosting Gloria enjoyed its World Premiere on August 22 at the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival.