The most well-known of Sebastián Lelio’s films, A Fantastic Woman, is an Oscar-winning and BAFTA-nominated director. As he is from Chile, the majority of his films are in Spanish; but, more lately, he has started making English-language films as well. His Chilean heritage also has an impact on how frequently the subject of religion is tackled in his films. He explains this as being the result of “the Judeo-Christian vision of reality being prevalent in South America” in an interview with The Clinic. Whether you are for or against it, whether you can escape it, everything is defined in connection to this viewpoint.
The conversation in much of Lelio’s work has an authentic feel thanks to the short scripts that allow for improvisation. Yet more lately, he has also broadened the range of his films to incorporate subtle or overtly magical realism. Being able to make films with such a wide range of genres and themes while still retaining a clear sense of his impact is a sign of a strong point of view in the director. You’ve probably heard of the popular film A Fantastic Woman, but if you want to see more of Lelio’s work, here are all of his films, ranked.
A Fantastic Woman (2017)
A Fabulous Woman, unquestionably Lelio’s best work, examines Marina’s existence as a transsexual woman whose partner passes away and leaves her to deal with his prejudiced family. Daniela Vega portrays Maria in a stunning and charismatic manner. Lelio’s propensity for magic realism is at its strongest in this film. Times like these, where Marina is forced to fight the elements to their furthest extent, both highlight her uniqueness and let her inhabit a more vivid and immersive environment.
Disobedience (2017)
In the movie Bleecker Street Disobedience, Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams play two women who grew up together in an Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood and later developed a romantic bond. At a funeral, Ronit, played by Weisz, travels back to London from New York City, and the two get back in touch. Despite sufficient chance, the plot’s development is unexpected and defies cliché at any point. It’s intriguing to listen to the two women debate their various views on sexuality and religion, two recurring subjects in Lelio, without the film passing judgement on either of them.
Gloria (2013)
She is portrayed by Paulina Garca in the original Gloria, and she does a fantastic job. Her performance is crucial to the film’s success, and she doesn’t disappoint. Alexandra MacAaron insightfully observes in a review that “Gloria becomes absolutely gorgeous as the movie goes on. Like in real life, she transforms how she seems to us as we come to know her and grow in love with her. It’s a great movie with many of subtle messages on achieving and preserving happiness.
Gloria Bell (2018)
Lelio’s original Gloria was remade as Gloria Bell, with Julianne Moore playing the title character and the Los Angeles location replacing Chile. It centres on Gloria, a divorcee who spends her evenings dancing and yearning for love. Gloria Bell’s problem isn’t that it’s poor; it’s well-made and performed; rather, it’s that it doesn’t express anything novel about its used-up plot. Nothing has been improved or diminished by changing the location; Moore was just given the opportunity to portray Gloria, as she purportedly requested. The film is just OK, but it serves as a stark reminder of how unwilling English-speaking people are to watch foreign films.
Navidad (2009)
In the movie Navidad, a young couple searches for personal items in their abandoned home and is surprised to find a teenager unconscious inside. They take her under their wing and spend the evening discussing their particular problems. Navidad, Lelio’s second film, is a component of the loose trilogy that his previous three films—which are not narratively connected—formed. Before his work became more expansive, they have similar gritty thematic and artistic characteristics. There is much to admire in his first three films, even though his later work became more streamlined and coherent.
The Sacred Family (2005)
The Holy Family, Lelio’s debut motion picture, takes place over the course of three days during Easter when a son and his fiancée visit his parents. The interaction of the dynamics makes it clear that the son and mother’s relationship won’t endure, especially when his father shows an interest in her. Gabriel Daz, the director of photography, maintains the same jerky, handheld camera style throughout. Although the effect may be unsettling to some people and exhilarating to others, it is never monotonous. It’s a daring and avant-garde debut that is appropriate for a director with his body of work.
The Wonder (2022)
In a more recent effort, Florence Pugh plays Lib in the psychological suspense film The Wonder. She is a nurse who has been sent to Ireland to look into a young girl who apparently hasn’t eaten in months yet remains healthy. Naturally, religion is a major theme in this film, and Lib, an atheist, finds herself debating the girl’s strict religious family’s wishes. One of Lelio’s films, The Wonder, goes to great lengths to set itself apart from reality and emphasise the fact that it is a tale. In one of his most sympathetic films, Lelio softly handles challenging subject matter here.
The Year of the Tiger (2011)
Luis Dobó plays Manuel in The Year of the Tiger. We first see him while he is still incarcerated, just before the prison’s walls collapse during an earthquake and the inmates flee. The search for Manuel’s loved ones involves a trek across the actual devastation left by the 2010 earthquake in Chile. One of the film’s biggest assets is Dobó’s lead performance, which is so strong that flaws like the odd pacing may be overlooked to a certain extent. Here, M.I. Littin-Menz, the director of photography for Lelio, uses a handheld camera, which works well for the film and enables it to straddle the border between narrative fiction and environmental fact.
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