Written and directed by lead actress Christine Stoddard, a Salvadoran-American woman’s struggle as an art gallery owner during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently widowed, Sirena adapts to self-isolation, grief-induced visions, and the world of e-commerce. Also starring: Ghia Vitale, Disnie Sebastien, Deniz Zeynep and Art Jones.
When working within a lot of restrictions, which the pandemic placed abundantly on filmmakers, one of the key things to establish is atmosphere and as soon as you jump into Sirena’s Gallery, it builds a sense of isolation and loss, with a touch of curiosity. The shot style is simple, working within its limitations rather than against them. There’s a friendly, relatable feel to its aesthetic, it builds a very everyday realm, bringing you into the fold of Sirena’s (Stoddard) world.
The story follows much the same style, it captures the day to day of her journey as she works to re-evaluate and adapt her business to fit an online world. It’s a great example of making adjustments in hard times, not letting the situation get the better of you, no matter how hard it may be. One that’s made even harder by processing a recent loss, and in that sense Stoddard keeps things understated. The film does have its dramatic moments which are perhaps its weaker points but for the most part, it approaches its themes in a sympathetic, accessible manner. It does a particularly good job of capturing that change in courtesy from in person to virtual. How that separation can cause some people to forget politeness or manners.
Having such a strong, almost singular, focus on Christine Stoddard’s Sirena puts a lot of pressure on her to create a character who can carry the film and Stoddard achieves that. She’s relatable but individual, she’s a little bit quirky but never over the top. It’s easy to connect with her frustrations and emotions. It can dip too far into business-like conversations, it would have been great to see that time go to exploring the character further, although it does serve to portray the mundanity and communication difficulties of working virtually.
Sirena’s Gallery is a sympathetic, relatable exploration of adapting in hard times. It has an understated, everyday style that works within the limitations of the pandemic, rather than trying to over-extend itself. The progression of the story can be rocky and there are a few scenes that get a bit more of the runtime than needed but there’s a charming awkwardness and a resilient, smart and patient leading performance from Stoddard.
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