‘Roma’ Film Review: Alfonso Cuarón’s Intimate Epic Proves Less Is More
This intimate tale of a housekeeper in early-70s Mexico proves the “Gravity” director doesn’t need a sprawling canvas to tell a powerful story
Alonso Duralde | December 12, 2018 @ 6:05 PM
Last Updated: December 12, 2018 @ 6:12 PM
"Roma" / Netflix
“Tell me, why do we require a trip to Mount Everest in order to perceive one moment of reality?” asks Wallace Shawn in “My Dinner with Andre.” “I think if you could become fully aware of what existed in the cigar store next to this restaurant, I think it would just blow your brains out!”
There are no cigar stores in Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma,” but after zipping us through a future dystopia in “Children of Men” and all of outer space in “Gravity,” the director takes us through a far more quotidian version of reality in his gorgeous new film. And it did, admittedly, blow my brains out.
Shot in 65mm black-and-white — please, Netflix, let audiences see this movie projected in 70mm before it hits your streaming service — the film remains mostly housebound to tell us the story of a bourgeois family in Mexico City in the 1970s, mostly as viewed by their housekeeper, Cleo (first-timer Yalitza Aparicio). And whatever “Roma” lacks in terms of pyrotechnics or visual-effects splendor (relatively speaking, anyway), it more than makes up for with emotion and humanity.
There are, to be sure, impressive set pieces and powerful scenes, but it’s the quiet, quotidian moments that give the film its impact. Having seemingly mastered the Hollywood blockbuster, Cuarón appears to be setting his sights on a more intimate kind of filmmaking along the lines of the cinema’s great humanists, like Yasujiro Ozu or Lucretia Martel. (The interactions between Cleo and her employers suggest a kinder take on the latter’s 2001 debut film, “La Ciénaga.”)
Set in the early 1970s, the film opens with a lengthy sequence of Cleo scrubbing the driveway, the water reflecting the jets that fly overhead. She’s cleaning up the prodigious amounts of poop created by the family dog, and his despoiling of the carport is one of few constants for her employers over the course of the year. In 12 months, the master of the house will move out, Cleo will be seduced and abandoned by her boyfriend, and she and her employer alike will face the fallout from these events.
Among Cuarón’s many accomplishments here is his ability to weave his cinephilia into the story in a way that’s organic and never self-conscious. The local movie palace plays a key role in the characters’ lives, whether it’s a pregnant Cleo being betrayed by her boyfriend as the closing scenes of “La Grande Vadrouille” play out on screen or one of the family’s children witnessing something he shouldn’t before walking in to see “Marooned.”
And while “Roma” refers to the neighborhood in Mexico City where the film is set, it could certainly serve as a shout-out to Fellini, whose film of the same name probably played in that same movie theater the year after this one is set; the Italian maestro would definitely approve of beautifully off-kilter moments like a New Year’s Eve party where wealthy landowners drink and sing while the campesinos extinguish a forest fire, or a scene of Cleo trudging through the muddy streets of a poor neighborhood while, in the background, a political rally features a human-cannonball act.
The press notes say that the film is Cuarón’s salute to the women who helped raise him, and “Roma” explores the strangely symbiotic relationship that can develop between employer and household servant; the mother (the impressive Marina de Tavira) often refers to Cleo as “a member of the family,” and the film lets us see the ways that this is actually true (they take care of her during her pregnancy) and the ways that it is not (she and another maid share a tiny room up a tall staircase, above that carport).
The ensemble is well cast throughout, with even the performers in the smallest roles making an impact. Ultimately, this is Aparicio’s show: She communicates both in Spanish and an indigenous dialect known as Mixteca, but she’s got the expressive eyes of a silent-film goddess. One of the film’s most wrenching scenes is just a hold on Cleo’s face, and Aparicio turns the moment into the screen’s most powerful close-up since Nicole Kidman in “Birth.”
(There’s a doctoral thesis waiting to be written about motherhood in Cuarón’s films, both in terms of absence (“A Little Princess,” “Great Expectations”) and presence (“Children of Men,” “Gravity”). Throw in a colon and a reference to “Y Tu Mamá También,” and the title writes itself.)
“Roma” offers plenty of Cuarón-ian flourishes throughout — from a violent street protest that bursts into a placid furniture store to long tracking shots of busy, period-dressed Mexico City streets — but keeping the camera on Yalitza Aparicio is all the director needs to do to hold our attention. Whether or not Netflix audiences will respond to this film’s subtle delights on a small screen, Alfonso Cuarón has created a heartfelt masterpiece of mood and nostalgia, one that reminds us that his gifts as a storyteller and an interpreter of the human experience are not dictated by scale of production.
For the record: A previous version of this review included unfounded speculation about the title of this film.
37 Fall Movies to Obsess Over, From 'Halloween' to 'Mary Poppins Returns' (Photos)
Coming in hot -- and in arguably much higher volume than this past summer -- are a slew of autumn movies to be psyched about. From Halloween-time horror to Oscar hopefuls, browse through for TheWrap's list of the most anticipated new 35 fall movies worth obsessing over.
Sept. 7: "The Nun"
"The Conjuring" is one of the most popular horror movie franchises out there, and "The Nun" spinoff is only looking to elevate the series.
New Line
Sept. 14: "The Predator"
Though it was always billed as a reboot, director Shane Black has stressed that his movie “The Predator” is closer to a sequel, actually expanding on the backstory of the Predator aliens seen in the first two Arnold Schwarzenegger films. And while it includes the likes of Boyd Holbrook ("Narcos") Trevante Rhodes (“Moonlight”) and Thomas Jane, early looks at ComicCon highlighted Black’s sense of humor as well, with Keegan Michael-Key and Olivia Munn doing some heavy lifting.
Fox
Sept. 14: "Lizzie"
The new take on the Lizzie Borden murders, starring Kristen Stewart and Chloe Sevigny, captivated fans at the Sundance Film Festival.
Roadside Attractions
Sept. 21: "Maniac"
Jonah Hill and Emma Stone reunite after 2008's "Superbad" for Netflix's "Maniac," about two people who are persuaded to participate in a pharmaceutical trial that will change their lives forever.
Netflix
Sept. 21: "Fahrenheit 11/9"
Alluding to his 2004 documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's upcoming documentary takes aim at Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election.
Getty Images
Sept. 21: "Colette"
Keira Knightley plays the real-life French writer who publishes her works under her husband's name -- and then defies early 20th century norms with gender-bending affairs. "Colette" was all the rage at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Bleecker Street
Sept. 21: "Assassination Nation"
Another movie that made waves at Sundance, this film sold to the Russo brothers and Neon for a whopping $10 million, and follows a small town that absolutely loses its mind. Odessa Young, Hari Nef, Suki Waterhouse, Bill Skarsgard and Bella Thorne star.
Neon
Oct. 5: "Venom"
Tom Hardy steps into the role of Venom, one of the most popular characters from Spider-Man's rogues gallery. Thanks to incredible effects, Venom looks like he literally stepped out of the pages of the Marvel comics. Sony rebranded all its Spider-Man characters into "Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters" with Venom leading the charge.
Sony
Oct. 5: "A Star Is Born"
Bradley Cooper! Lady Gaga! Bradley Cooper SINGING (and directing for the first time)! We get it all in this movie.
Warner Bros.
Oct. 12: "First Man"
Damien Chazelle's follow-up to "La La Land" reteams him with Ryan Gosling, who plays the moonwalking astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Universal
Oct. 12: "Bad Times at the El Royale"
Drew Goddard directs this ensemble cast of, well, beautiful people. Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm and Dakota Johnson star in the thriller about seven strangers meeting in a rundown hotel.
Fox
Oct. 12: "Beautiful Boy"
Timothée Chalamet captured everyone's hearts with last year's "Call Me by Your Name," and early critics have been raving about the movie that looks at the experience of struggling with addiction over many years. Steve Carell also stars as his dad.
Amazon
Oct. 19: "Halloween"
A reboot of John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic of the same name? Count us in! David Gordon Green directs, with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode.
Universal
Oct. 19: "The Hate U Give"
“The Hate U Give” may end up being one of the timeliest movies of the year. This adaptation of Angie Thomas’s young adult novel of the same name follows an African American teen turned activist after she witnesses her friend shot and killed by a white police officer. Amandla Stenberg plays Starr Carter opposite a great cast including Regina Hall, Anthony Mackie, Issa Rae, Common and Russell Hornsby.
Fox
Nov. 2: "Bohemian Rhapsody"
The film has been in the news a lot, for good and bad -- director Bryan Singer was fired and replaced by Dexter Fletcher, for one. But the movie amped up anticipation again with the first trailers in which star Rami Malek looks identical to Freddie Mercury. The casting couldn't have been better.
Fox
Nov. 2: "Suspiria"
To be honest, Luca Guadagnino's upcoming remake of Dario Argento's creepy horror movie "Suspiria" has been haunting us for months with stills, teasers and most recently, its first trailer. Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton star.
Amazon
Nov. 2: "Boy Erased"
Joel Edgerton returns to direct "Boy Erased," which stars Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Edgerton himself. It follows Jared (Hedges), a teen sent by his conservative religious parents to a gay conversion therapy program.
Focus
Nov. 9: "The Girl in the Spider's Web"
Claire Foy is stepping into the role of goth hacker Lisbeth Salander, previously played by Rooney Mara, in this highly anticipated sequel to "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."
Sony
Nov. 9: "Overlord"
Although J.J. Abrams said "Overlord" will not be part of the "Cloverfield" franchise, we're still excited -- the film follows American soldiers who discover secret Nazi experiments.
Paramount
Nov. 16: "Widows"
Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Erivo play women who kick ass after their late husbands leave them deeply in debt to crime lords.
Fox
Nov. 16: "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald"
Given the huge fan base of the "Harry Potter" franchise, anticipation for the second film in the prequel series is high. This time, we'll see Jude Law taking on the role of young Dumbledore alongside Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander.
Warner Bros
Nov. 21: "Green Book"
Peter Farrelly, of “There’s Something About Mary” fame, may seem like an odd choice for a biopic resembling “Driving Miss Daisy” and two Oscar nominees. But “Green Book” plays on the humor and true story drama between pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his driver Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a surly, Italian American former bouncer. Set during a tour of the South in the ‘60s, “Green Book” probes themes of race as well as friendship.
Universal
Nov. 21: "Creed II"
2015's "Creed" made a huge dent, both critically and commercially, and even scored Sylvester Stallone a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the Academy. We can't wait to see what Michael B. Jordan and new director Steven Caple Jr. cook up in the sequel.
Warner Bros./MGM
Nov. 21: "Ralph Breaks the Internet"
Six years after "Wreck-It Ralph," John C. Reilly reprises his role in the animated feature. Gal Gadot, Kristen Bell, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lunch, Taraji P. Henson and Mandy Moore are also lending their voices to the movie.
Disney
Nov. 23: "The Favourite"
"Maniac" isn't the only film Emma Stone will star in this fall -- she will also play a servant in Yorgos Lanthimos' follow-up to "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman and Nicholas Hoult also star in this period drama about a royal love triangle.
Fox Searchlight
Nov. 23: "Shoplifters"
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s thoughtful and often heartwarming family dramas have long been a staple of Cannes and the art-house circuit, but his latest, “Shoplifters,” finally won him the Palme D’Or at Cannes last May. It tells of a family of small-time thieves who find a missing child on the street and welcome her into their home, only to have their shoplifting habits come under the microscope.
Gaga Corporation
Nov. 30: "If Beale Street Could Talk"
All eyes are on Barry Jenkins after the Best Picture-winning success of his 2016 film “Moonlight.” His follow-up, which he writes and directs, is an adaptation of a 1974 novel by James Baldwin in which a Harlem woman named Tish (newcomer KiKi Layne) tries to prove that her imprisoned fiancé is innocent while pregnant with their child.
Annapurna
Dec. 7: "Mary Queen of Scots"
Early photos of Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie as royal cousins amped up anticipation for the historical drama scripted by Beau Willimon ("House of Cards").
Focus
Dec. 14: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" will introduce audiences to Miles Morales, who took over as Spider-Man after the death of Peter Parker -- in an animated film from producers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord as well as director Bob Persichetti. Miles Morales is voiced by Shameik Moore.
Sony
Dec. 19: "Mary Poppins Returns"
After Julie Andrews played the famous nanny in the 1964 classic, Emily Blunt will step into the magical shoes, opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Julie Walters.
Disney
Dec. 21: "Aquaman"
Jason Momoa is back in a standalone film about the DC Comics hero. Prolific director James Wan, who is the mastermind behind the "Conjuring" and "Saw" franchises, is directing.
Warner Bros.
Dec. 21: "Bumblebee"
“Bumblebee” isn’t just the first “Transformers” spinoff but also the first in the franchise to be directed by someone other than Michael Bay. This prequel, set in the 1980s, has a lot to prove. Travis Knight, a veteran of the stop-motion animated films like “Kubo and the Two Strings," makes his live-action debut.
Paramount
Dec. 21: "Cold War"
Pawel Pawlikowski's follow-up to his 2013 Best Foreign Language Oscar winner "Ida" is a searing love story that plays out over 10 years amid the, well, Cold War in 1950s Poland and Paris. Ten different chapters offer glimpses at the rough love between a conductor (Tomasz Kot) and his ingénue (Joanna Kulig). An unforgiving, stylish and cynical lens make Pawlikowski's cursed lovers all the more watchable.
Cannes
Dec. 21: "Alita: Battle Angel"
Robert Rodriguez directs this adaptation of a beloved Japanese manga about a kickass cyborg (played by Rosa Salazar in motion-capture) who doesn't remember her origins.
Dec. 25: "On the Basis of Sex"
In the midst of the #MeToo movement, Focus is releasing a biopic starring Felicity Jones as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who authored majority opinions such as "United States v. Virginia," which struck down any law that would allow only men to be admitted into schools.
Focus
Dec. 21: "Welcome to Marwen"
Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of the remarkable 2010 documentary "Marwencol" follows Steve Carell as a man who suffers a brutal attack and then spends his days re-creating a WWII-era village.
Universal
Dec. 25: "Destroyer"
The first image for Karyn Kusama's "Destroyer" was recently released, amping up anticipation for the director's follow up to "The Invitation."
Annapurna
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The season starts with “The Nun” and ends with Nicole Kidman’s “Destroyer”
Coming in hot -- and in arguably much higher volume than this past summer -- are a slew of autumn movies to be psyched about. From Halloween-time horror to Oscar hopefuls, browse through for TheWrap's list of the most anticipated new 35 fall movies worth obsessing over.