Roma (2018) – Review

Thanks to Gravity, one of my favorite movies, director Alfonso Cuarón is someone whose work I always look forward to. Of course he made great movies before this film, like Children of Men and he’s someone who is able to realize his vision in an almost magical way. Just think of the long shots in Children of Men and where you wonder how they have been madeor the system that was developed to project the light of the CGI environment onto the helmets and faces of the actors in Gravity. He’s a director who is able to make the most technically difficult shot seem effortless and make you wonder how he does it. When watching Roma, you might think that he keeps things simple here, but if you look closer you realise this isn’t the case.

At first glance, Roma seems to be a simple film that shows how a relatively rich Mexican family lives in the 1970s, with the focus on their housekeeper Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio). As a viewer you can see her daily activities and there will be a large part of viewers who, after half an hour, will stop the movie because they think this black and white film is boring. The camera captures all events objectively from a distance and makes no wild movements. Often the camera only pans slowly from left to right, but there is more going on without you realizing it at first. The events that are recorded always happen exactly when the camera is pointed in that direction. In the beginning, for example, this is a shot in which Cleo clears up the house in different rooms, but later Cuarón does the same in a scene with hundreds of actors. The timing is almost unimaginable and at a scene on the beach you wonder how he managed to get the camera moving so effortlessly. It is a film which is full of details, from the sets to the recurring themes of water and airplanes.

 Cleo is a woman who sometimes comes across as extremely passive. She experiences various things, but does not always take control of the situation and that results in a number of intense moments that are not easy to watch and leave a lasting impression. It is remarkable that this title appeared on Netflix, but on the other hand also understandable. Large studios probably would not have been willing to release Roma into the cinema. The story, inspired by Cuaròn’s own youth, is entirely in Spanish and would not appeal to a large audience. With Netflix, that potential is a lot bigger. As said, not a film that everyone will be able to appreciate, but that for movie lovers is a beautifully made piece of history where in the power hides in the subdued style.

[score8]