This is the third of a four-part series of films that had Oscar buzz during their years, and why they deserved such attention.
NOTE: SPOILER ALERT
When Roma was released in selected theaters and then on Netflix in 2018, the reaction from both the critics and the audience was very overwhelming. Most people agreed that it was the greatest movie of 2018 and even one of the greatest movies of all time. But, there were also a few people that didn’t get it and accused it of being too pretentious, meaningless and even boring.
Roma might not have won the Oscar for Best Picture, but it stuck with me like very few movies in history have done. Even for a film with a slow pace and not much action, it never had a dull moment and in the end, it left me completely speechless and thinking about it for days.
I am here to tell you why Roma is in fact one of the greatest movies ever and why it deserved all the buzz in the world.
Stunning cinematography
One of the most evident things about this film is the impeccable cinematography. Every single shot is a work of art. Even the mundane things like washing the garage or the family sitting in the living room watching TV looked like perfect photography deserving of being framed in a gallery. I usually don’t like black and white films, but this time, it didn’t bother me because it didn’t need colors to be beautiful.
Intimate setting
The story for Roma is a personal one for director Alfonso Cuarón. Cleo is based on his childhood nanny and maid of the family, Libo Rodríguez. Cuarón didn’t just tell her story, but he showed it by immersing you in the story and making you part of it. The camerawork makes you feel like you are there on the corner just watching all the events unfold like a time traveler who precisely landed in Mexico City in 1970.
Real acting
I loved the fact that I didn’t know any of the actors. Even the lead actress, Yaritza Aparicio, didn’t have any acting experience prior to this movie, yet their performances were very powerful and convincing. This made the experience even more real and it makes you forget that you are watching a movie. Most of the background actors, like the nurses and doctors, weren’t actors neither, just regular people simulating their actual jobs.
Emotive moments
There are a couple of very moving scenes in the movie that could bring anyone to tears. My favorite moment is the whole sequence when she arrives at the store to find a crib for her baby, then a violent political protest breaks outside killing protesters in the process, then her water breaks, and she has to run to the hospital in the middle of the revolt. She then gave birth, only to find out her baby was born dead. That scene is intense, chaotic, heartbreaking, and simply one of the best things I have ever seen in a film. It’s impossible to watch that scene without feeling a knot on your throat.
Another scene that is also very moving is the one when the family is at the beach, and after saving the life of the children who almost drowned, Cleo has a breakdown remembering losing her baby and claiming: “No la quería. No quería que naciera” (“I didn’t want her. I didn’t want her to be born”), while crying and being consoled by the whole family. If you haven’t watched Roma, you still probably know what scene I'm talking about because it’s the most iconic shot of the movie.
Powerful Message
Roma is not just a visually stunning film; it's not just pretty shots in black and white. It has a story and it’s more powerful than one might believe. It’s a film that touches on many subjects, like class inequality and it's also women-empowering. The central characters of the movie are women who were betrayed and abandoned by the men they loved, yet, they rise together stronger than ever against adversity.
“Estamos solas. No importa lo que te digan, siempre estamos solas” (“We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we are always alone”).
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