Uncle Gloria: One Helluva Ride! is a darkly funny, stranger-than-fiction documentary full of family drama and fireworks. The film is available on DVD starting this week.
During a nasty divorce, Butch, the 67 year-old Jewish macho and homophobic owner of a South Florida auto-wrecking company, hides from the law… as a woman – unknowingly setting off a twisting chain of events that lead to an epic tale of discovery. Naming herself after her two idols – Gloria Estefan and Gloria Steinem – she decides to remodel herself in much the same way Butch once lovingly restored his old cars. As a senior citizen, she undergoes a risky sex change operation, becomes a dominatrix, later a transgender activist, and ultimately finds love, all while trying to reconcile with her dysfunctional family.
In its early stages, Uncle Gloria: One Helluva Ride! was selected for a prestigious Film Independent Documentary Lab Fellowship with the International Documentary Association as it’s fiscal sponsor. It was produced, directed and edited by two-time Emmy Award winner and former PBS producer Robyn Symon.
While the film has a wildly twisting plot and lots of humor, Uncle Gloria tells an important story about letting go of labels and accepting people for who they are, regardless of their gender expression. Check out the trailer below and click here to order your copy.
