Roma - Movie Review
Roma
Plot: A story that chronicles a year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.
Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Fernando Grediaga
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Certificate: 15 (disturbing images, strong language)
Runtime: 135 minutes
Release Date: Friday 30th November 2018
Set over the course of a year between 1970 and 1971 within the titular Mexican neighbourhood, Roma marks Alfonso Cuarón's ninth directorial feature and is undoubtedly, his most personal film to date. Cuarón has admitted that at least 90% of Roma is based or inspired by real life experiences of his childhood and it translates beautifully. Putting it plainly, Roma is one of the single greatest achievements in the art of filmmaking within the decade. And the greatest shame is that some will watch it and hardly notice.
Admittedly, Roma is not a film that can be recommended whole-heartedly to the average moviegoer. The slower, more methodical pace may be off-putting to some as will the black and white aesthetic (why people struggle with that continues to be dumbfounding), but for the audience member that is wishing to explore and discover a meticulously crafted motion picture, and for every cinephile alive, Roma can be considered the answer. Many thought that Cuarón had reached his directorial peak with his visual triumph in Gravity. But it's Roma where his true vision and potential comes to fruition. Narratively, Roma is a whirlwind of emotions but the story itself is kept relatively simplistic. Focusing primarily on housekeeper Cleo, Cuarón guides us along a year in the life of the family she works for as well as facing her own trials and tribulations. It's a poignant tale of humanity at its highest of highs and lowest of lows. Cuarón's dialogue is written with air of authenticity that grabs a hold of your heart and latches itself onto the central family.
Plot: A story that chronicles a year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.
Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Fernando Grediaga
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Certificate: 15 (disturbing images, strong language)
Runtime: 135 minutes
Release Date: Friday 30th November 2018
Set over the course of a year between 1970 and 1971 within the titular Mexican neighbourhood, Roma marks Alfonso Cuarón's ninth directorial feature and is undoubtedly, his most personal film to date. Cuarón has admitted that at least 90% of Roma is based or inspired by real life experiences of his childhood and it translates beautifully. Putting it plainly, Roma is one of the single greatest achievements in the art of filmmaking within the decade. And the greatest shame is that some will watch it and hardly notice.
Admittedly, Roma is not a film that can be recommended whole-heartedly to the average moviegoer. The slower, more methodical pace may be off-putting to some as will the black and white aesthetic (why people struggle with that continues to be dumbfounding), but for the audience member that is wishing to explore and discover a meticulously crafted motion picture, and for every cinephile alive, Roma can be considered the answer. Many thought that Cuarón had reached his directorial peak with his visual triumph in Gravity. But it's Roma where his true vision and potential comes to fruition. Narratively, Roma is a whirlwind of emotions but the story itself is kept relatively simplistic. Focusing primarily on housekeeper Cleo, Cuarón guides us along a year in the life of the family she works for as well as facing her own trials and tribulations. It's a poignant tale of humanity at its highest of highs and lowest of lows. Cuarón's dialogue is written with air of authenticity that grabs a hold of your heart and latches itself onto the central family.
Cuarón gives a filmmaking masterclass with Roma. Serving as his own cinematographer, rather than reuniting with long-time partner Emmanuel Lubezki, Roma is crammed with gorgeous visuals and shots that are destined to be selected and analysed in film classes to come. He makes a bold choice to stick mostly to wide, tracking shots, rarely ever utilising a close up. The editing, yet again controlled by Cuarón, is smooth and almost entirely unnoticeable. He makes the bold decision to place the camera in the centre of the scene and allow our perspective to rotate as we witness elongated sequences of typical day to day family life allowing for an almost documentary-esque approach. However, Cuarón doesn't simply treat us to a visual extravaganza as he goes a step further to encapsulate the soundscape that would surround this neighbourhood. Whether it be private conversations heard mumbling from a distance, a marching band travelling from one end of the street to the other, or footsteps echoing around the house, Roma has an almost 3D quality to it where every sound is enhanced and amplified that little bit extra so as to transport the audience into film itself.
Yet, whilst it may seem that Roma is a quiet and understated technological marvel, it would be completely pointless if there was no heart and soul to this movie and that is gifted to us in the spectacular performance by Yalitza Aparicio who, until her casting, was a school teacher. Not only does she give an incredibly raw and authentic portrayal of a character whose life appears to be spinning in numerous directions, but she carries herself with such professionalism as if she had been a working actress all her life. Do not be surprised if her name is thrown around as we edge close to awards season.
Roma is an elegant, brutally honest and magnificent work of art. Alfonso Cuarón cements himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of this generation and can consider Roma to be the pinnacle of his career. On one hand it's a joy to kick back and watch a master at work with stupendous cinematic achievements that should be experienced within a cinema, rather than a computer screen. And on the other, Roma is a deeply personal and sincere story capturing life in its purest form.
My Verdict: 10/10
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