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Roma, 2018
In Mexico City in the 1970s, Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), an indigenous woman, works as a domestic servant in a wealthy household over seen by Sofia (Marina de Tavira) and Antonio (Fernando Grediaga). As the couple's marriage begins to hit the rocks, Cleo must deal with her own complicated relationship with her boyfriend, Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero).
I have no one to blame but myself, but how, HOW did I have the idea that this was a light film and maybe even sort of a comedy? LOL NO. This movie seriously rocked me to the core and any award you want to tell me it won, I can only say, yes, it deserved it.
It is hard to even know where to begin with a film like this. But let's start with the look. Roma is filmed in lust black and white, and there is a gorgeous poetry to the images, whether they are the everyday or a breathtaking sequence involving a forest fire. The film is host to a range of landscapes--the ocean, the desert, the forest--and they all look amazing.
The style in which the movie is shot is nothing short of masterful. What Cuaron chooses to put on screen and what he chooses to leave just out of our sight is done with such care and each shot seems perfectly designed to evoke intense, powerful emotion. It is hard to talk about the two most impactful sequences without going into spoiler territory. For those who have seen the film, I am talking about the scene in the hospital and the scene on the beach. In both cases my heart was in my throat and the suspense was almost unbearable. And in both of these scenes, the role of the viewer seems doubly important. In both cases, the action begs for a sympathetic witness. (MAJOR SPOILERS)
The acting is also very strong. Aparicio is both charming and heartbreaking as Cleo. You can hardly take your eyes off of her, and there is something special about how a character who is often passive can at the same time seem so compelling. The wealthy family could have easily come off as a bunch of spoiled brats (and at times they definitely do), but there is humanity to the way they are portrayed. Their indifference toward Cleo at times seems to chalk up more to self-centered ignorance rather than callous lack of care. When Cleo needs support, Sofia and her mother, Teresa, are there for her to a degree. In the role of Fermin, Guerrero manages to pull off a neat trick--the focus and intensity of his nude martial arts demonstration reads as charismatic and goofy, and when he later
This was just a gorgeous, gorgeous film. I have no criticisms of it. I did not expect to get hit so hard in the emotions. I also appreciated the subtle way that they used the formatting of the subtitles to distinguish between Spanish and Mixtec.
Roma, 2018
In Mexico City in the 1970s, Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), an indigenous woman, works as a domestic servant in a wealthy household over seen by Sofia (Marina de Tavira) and Antonio (Fernando Grediaga). As the couple's marriage begins to hit the rocks, Cleo must deal with her own complicated relationship with her boyfriend, Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero).
I have no one to blame but myself, but how, HOW did I have the idea that this was a light film and maybe even sort of a comedy? LOL NO. This movie seriously rocked me to the core and any award you want to tell me it won, I can only say, yes, it deserved it.
It is hard to even know where to begin with a film like this. But let's start with the look. Roma is filmed in lust black and white, and there is a gorgeous poetry to the images, whether they are the everyday or a breathtaking sequence involving a forest fire. The film is host to a range of landscapes--the ocean, the desert, the forest--and they all look amazing.
The style in which the movie is shot is nothing short of masterful. What Cuaron chooses to put on screen and what he chooses to leave just out of our sight is done with such care and each shot seems perfectly designed to evoke intense, powerful emotion. It is hard to talk about the two most impactful sequences without going into spoiler territory. For those who have seen the film, I am talking about the scene in the hospital and the scene on the beach. In both cases my heart was in my throat and the suspense was almost unbearable. And in both of these scenes, the role of the viewer seems doubly important. In both cases, the action begs for a sympathetic witness. (MAJOR SPOILERS)
WARNING: spoilers below
As the nurses wrapped up Cleo's dead baby with calm, practiced efficiency, it was so hard to watch, and the way that the little body was framed and illuminated behind Cleo was beautiful and horrifying at the same time.
The acting is also very strong. Aparicio is both charming and heartbreaking as Cleo. You can hardly take your eyes off of her, and there is something special about how a character who is often passive can at the same time seem so compelling. The wealthy family could have easily come off as a bunch of spoiled brats (and at times they definitely do), but there is humanity to the way they are portrayed. Their indifference toward Cleo at times seems to chalk up more to self-centered ignorance rather than callous lack of care. When Cleo needs support, Sofia and her mother, Teresa, are there for her to a degree. In the role of Fermin, Guerrero manages to pull off a neat trick--the focus and intensity of his nude martial arts demonstration reads as charismatic and goofy, and when he later
WARNING: spoilers below
turns that same intensity--and those same moves--to threaten Cleo and her unborn child, it is chilling.
This was just a gorgeous, gorgeous film. I have no criticisms of it. I did not expect to get hit so hard in the emotions. I also appreciated the subtle way that they used the formatting of the subtitles to distinguish between Spanish and Mixtec.