An everyday guy…locked inside a men’s room at a rest stop off a highway. A voice telling him he is the one who’s imprisoned him. And who demands a heavy price to set him free. The main character, Wes is no pushover. He’s not about to take anyone’s disembodied voice for granted, especially a voice who claims to have god-like powers. Even someone’s voice who seems able to back up his claims, at least some of them.
After a while we realize—this story is about Wes’ redemption. And redemption, any kind, is something most of us can relate to. It’s a theme that draws us in.
From this description, Glorious may sound like a movie working (or maybe not working) on several different levels. My strategy was this: try to keep myself free, enough to jump back and forth between the levels I saw. Admittedly not easy with things going so fast.
Wes’ girlfriend Brenda died recently. But her death was not a highway accident, DUI or an incurable illness. Wes had much to do with it—he broke her heart. Try as he will to deny it, he hurt Brenda.
In a movie full of possible symbols, Brenda might represent the faith Wes destroyed.
Or, she might represent someone able to sense anyone’s redemption. This might explain Wes’ agony when we first see him, as he drives, hoping to die.
You can anticipate a viewer’s impatience, even contempt for a story setting its sights so high. A big theme is the fate of the universe—will it survive the next 24 hours. The voice says he (the voice) may have the means to save the universe, but only with Wes’ help. But the universe’s fate being determined in a men’s room with a floor covered with puke? Pretentious? You bet.
You can imagine ratings of 1/2* or 1* out of 5* and I can understand where people could rate Glorious that low. I could argue—give Glorious serious credit for presenting some profound questions without blinking. In a men’s bathroom no less. (I was surprised Glorious received much better reviews than I had expected from imdb and from Rotten Tomatoes.)
The question—with things coming at you fast and furious; will you be intrigued enough to stick with this?
You may start off expecting some kind of mind games—a duel between Wes and the voice he’s hearing. A quietly menacing voice slightly reminiscent of HAL, the computer in 2001.
But this isn’t a movie about sick mind games. The voice has a name—a long mysterious name with a mnemonic: “ghat.” Ghat needs something from Wes…Wes needs to understand what he is expected to accomplish and why.
And ghat’s messages for Wes: Wes must redeem himself. But first he must experience the pain he caused Brenda. Another courageous decision in this movie. Asking you to identify with Brenda’s feeling of betrayal instead of presenting her as a woman with problems: “who loves too much,” or “loves guys who won’t love her back.”
Wes can’t get around this. “Her memory has to be worth something,” he reflects. And it will be the worst pain he ever experienced. Ghat can talk all he wants about saving the universe but Wes’ ordeal will be equally painful.
Slowly but surely Glorious pulls us into Wes’ journey towards redemption. What pain must he endure? Do we know him well enough to care? Can we accept ghat’s word for it—that Wes’ redemption in Brenda’s suicide is chained to the fate of the universe?
Wes can’t get around this. “Her memory has to be worth something,” he reflects. And it will be the worst pain he ever experienced. Ghat can talk all he wants about saving the universe but Wes’ ordeal will be equally painful.
Slowly but surely Glorious pulls us into Wes’ journey towards redemption. What pain must he endure? Do we know him well enough to care? Can we accept ghat’s word for it—that Wes’ redemption in Brenda’s suicide is c. Slowly but surely Glorious pulls us into Wes’ journey towards redemption. What pain must he endure? Do we know him well enough to care? Can we accept ghat’s word for it—that Wes’ redemption in Brenda’s suicide is chained to the fate of the universe?
I can’t answer that question for each of us. Give yourself a chance to answer.