To The Women In Our Lives

By Tom Pacak

Many critics have praised “Roma” as the best movie of 2018. I can see where they’re coming from; it’s beautifully directed, acted, it's personal, and amazing to look at (Alfonso Cuarón did cinematography). The film has already been declared the favorite by every other critic’s organization and it took home the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It’s not only a home run for cinema but also Netflix, the big streaming giant that had the guts to put this film out there. It was an ambitious move by Netflix and I hope it pays off for them come Oscar Sunday. 

The film follows a middle-class family in Mexico City around the early 1970s. The title refers to the Colonia Roma district of Mexico City where Cuarón grew up. “Roma” opens up with a close-up shot of soapy water running down the drain.  In that reflection, there is a plane flying in the sky and the bright shiny stone.  Water is supposed to reflect life and how smooth it flows and the plane is supposed to show the events in our lives that impact us. The person running the water down the drain is Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a housekeeper that works for the family. Cleo cleans the dog poop off the driveway, sweeps the floors, and tucks the kids to bed at night. Despite doing this, she’s mostly taken for granted by the family. While the kids play, they mostly pass her screaming and running; even the grandmother Teresa can’t remember her birthdate or place of birth during the film’s most crucial scene. She loves the family and they love her but she has to remind herself of what she is; an employee.

“Roma” is a film where the smallest details are the ones that matter the most. Details are very important to Cuarón and he uses his directing talent to show how they’re important. I love the way he does it in this film. He’ll show shots of a bedroom at night littered with toys and close-up shots of antique animals in numerous houses. In fact, as I was watching it, memories of my own childhood started flowing through like the water running down the drain in the opening shot. This is a wonderful film done by a brilliant director who clearly knows what he’s doing.

Cuarón also has a lot of respect for the women who helped raise him. It’s not only shown in this film but his past work as well. In “Children of Men,” women are seen as the only life force that can save civilization. This is fact because a virus has wiped out the population and one pregnant woman has the chance to save civilization. In “Roma,” the women characters are taken for granted. The mother, Sofia (Marina de Tavira) is abandoned by her husband Antonio. Antonio claims to her that he’s off in Quebec for doctor’s conferences but in reality has run off with some other woman. Cleo has a random one-night stand with a martial arts fighter and he abandons her once finding out she’s pregnant. She tries to contact him but is threatened death if she contacts him again. Cuarón wants to show us that women are the most powerful and strong characters in life. Nobody else would be able to take care of the kids if Sofia wasn’t around and the same goes for Cleo and her kid. Who would take care of Cleo’s kid if she decided to call it quits? These women go through a lot of stress trying to take care of people but in the end, they keep their heads strong and survive their hardships.

“Roma” is obliviously one you have to see. You can easily stream it on Netflix. How you see it doesn’t really matter as long as you see it. Personally, I saw it in theaters because that’s what I think is the best movie experience out there. When the film was over and the credits rolled, I saw people still sitting when the credits were going. Most people after watching a movie want to get out of there and move on. I think these people were different. I think they were amazed at how beautiful “Roma” truly is.   

Note: Now Streaming on Netflix and in theaters

Rating: 4 Stars Out of 4 Stars