Roma
February 24, 2019
Alfonso Cuarón’s masterpiece has the opportunity to break ground in a range of Oscar categories.
The gorgeous black-and-white drama, set in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, follows the life of Cleo, played by newcomer Yalita Aparicio, an indigenous maid who works for a middle class family. Cleo watches the family deal with their father leaving while she experiences her own difficulties including her pregnancy.
Unlike some of the grander movies nominated for Best Picture, Roma takes the approach of expanding a less obviously interesting story. But while the performances of Aparicio and others are intimate and emotional, the clear star of this film is the cinematography. Ethereal sequences and meticulously detailed shots will make the viewer glad he or she can pause and appreciate the film’s beauty on Netflix, where it is available in addition to a handful of theatres.
Spoken in Spanish and Mixtec — a group of languages indigenous to Mexico — the film is only the 11th foreign-language film ever to be nominated for Best Picture. Were it to win, it would be the first. Produced by Netflix, Roma is also the first film by the streaming mega-giant to be nominated for Best Picture.
–Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks, Community Editor