Gloria’s Cut

Writer/director Olivia Gropp’s Gloria’s Cut is set in a grimy Hollywood diner bathroom, where Gloria Schwarber (Olivia Gropp) records a bloody, unfiltered confession. Working through her PTSD, she vents about the casting process that promised her a role she believed was locked in, only for the part to slip away under murky circumstances involving the casting director’s girlfriend.

Earlier that evening, Gloria is working a late shift slinging milkshakes at the diner when aspiring actress Lulu LaRue (Raleigh Tabora) walks in for what she claims is an important meeting. Lulu is impatient and dismissive toward Gloria, demanding to use the phone to call a director who doesn’t show, apparently distracted elsewhere. The actress explains she is preparing for a role and needs a place to regroup. The tension between the two slowly softens as Lulu asks Gloria to help her run lines, and what begins as a reluctant favor turns into an unexpected connection. As they rehearse scenes and trade stories about auditions, agents, and near-misses, the line between competition and camaraderie blurs. The two have a lot in common… until they don’t.

“…tension between the two slowly softens as Lulu asks Gloria to help her run lines.”

Gloria’s Cut takes what every working female actress goes through in the industry and blows it up into a full-blown horror. Gropp’s performance brilliantly walks us through the stages of rage, if that’s even a thing. She’s a powder keg ready to blow, with each comment, dismissive leer, and microaggression from Lulu. Gropp’s acting expert builds the pressure and drives Gloria toward her ultimate demise.

As a film, the diner set, lighting, sound, and camera work are top-notch, making this indie horror feel so much more than its meager budget allows. Of course, we would never go as far as Gloria does, right?

Let Gloria’s Cut serve as that cathartic release every working actor feels when passed over for a part or role.

For more information, visit the Gloria’s Cut official Instagram page.