Review: ‘Roma’ is a Tranquil Triumph

Erin Graham ‘19 / Emertainment Monthly TV Editor
Pretentious movie-goers tend to divide Hollywood media into “films” and “movies” to indicate a difference in the quality of the content, the former being the higher accolade. While Roma was shot on a 65 mm camera, its black and white quality, rich textures, and quiet victories make it more than deserving of being called a film, and a triumphant one at that.
Roma details the life of a poor Mexican domestic worker, Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), and the family she works for in the early 1970s. It depicts Cleo’s friendship with the other worker, Adela (Nancy Garía García), her relationship with her employers, and her tense experience with a young man, Fermín (Jorge Antonio Guerrero). Cleo and the mother of the family employing her, Sofía (Marina de Tavira), grow closer as a result of the personal tragedies that befall them.
Despite the lack of color, the depth of each frame is stunning, and the textures of each scene are palpable details of the quiet yet remarkable life of Cleo. Despite being a more modest story set to air on Netflix in December, the movie demands a presence in a theater; the sound design is at times guttural, and other times a soothing backdrop for the monotony of life, but it never fails to be rich.
There is little plot throughout the film, but the story meanders in a way reflective of life. Roma at times feels like the Mexican film equivalent of Greta Gerwig’s Frances Ha: it’s an intimate look at the lives of two complex women navigating their trauma. At times the momentum of the film is uneven and jarring, but the film ultimately sells it that so is life, and thus still works within this world.
It would be no surprise to see Cuarón’s third Oscar for Roma at peace on his shelf come the 2019 Academy Awards.
Overall Grade: A-
Watch The Trailer:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BS27ngZtxg[/embedyt]