A really good (and must) film to watch during the holidays. This is apparently an ordinary story told by an immense Alfonso Cuarón. The movie was shot in black and white and it is also beautifully shot in long takes. Fundamentally Roma is the tale of two women, Cleo (play by Yalitza Aparicio) working as a live-maid for a beleaguered upper middle-class family in Mexico City. It is an autobiographical story from the director and during the film you can see that there are signs of tensions and dysfunction from both the family and the maid. Those little things are hints and demonstrations of the feelings of the characters. The man of the house (Antonio) can't stand being at his own house, you can see that by the way he parks his car, and his wife (Sofía) is struggling to keep the family together.
So, meanwhile Antonio keeps travelling for what, supposedly, are business trips, a stressed Sofia one day tells the children it would be a good idea to write to their dad, imploring him to come back. But Cleo is in trouble too when she has to explain to his boyfriend Fermín, a martial-arts enthusiast (played by Jorge Antonio Guerrero) that se has missed her period.
This is the prelude to, what it would seem, a broken family/ie, but Cuarón shows us how love, and women empowerment come out when they are most needed. The hug of the poster is the summary of the whole film.
In words of Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian's film critic:
"There is tragedy, comedy and absurdity here, along with sublime mystery in its extraordinary set pieces. At the heart of it all is a wonderful performance from Aparicio, who brings to the role something delicate and stoic. She is the jewel of this outstanding film."
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