Roma (2018) (Spanish Language)- BFI London Film Festival 2018

Review

135min

Genre:       Drama

Director:    Alfonso Cuarón

Cast:         Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey…more

Writer:      Alfonso Cuarón

-Synopsis-

A black & white Spanish language character piece set in the social and political bustle of Mexico in the early 70s, following the tribulations of an upper middle-class family and their domestic servants, who prove the stoic beating heart of the group—as the director of ‘Children of Men’ and ‘Gravity’ returns home for a meditation on family, class and the idea of home.

After following up an early career in Mexican cinema and beyond—which gave us films like ‘Sólo con Tu Pareja’ and ‘Y Tu Mamá También’—with a global cinematic voyage which bridged ‘Harry Potter’, dystopian sci-fi and Oscar-winning space survival thriller, Alfonso Cuarón returns to his spiritual, artistic and physical roots to give us a tone-perfect, female led chronicle of human connection . . . and a very personal take on what family really means.

In her acting debut film novice Yalitza Aparicio stars as ‘Cleo’, a young native Mixtec Mexican woman working as a live-in domestic maid and nanny alongside ‘Adela’ (Nancy García García), as they care for the upper middle-class family of ‘Señora Sofia’ (Marina de Tavira) and ‘Doctor Antonio’ (Fernando Grediaga), their four young children and their home in Mexico City’s ‘Roma’ district. But as trouble brews in the marriage and tension grows in the household, the group embarks on trips which prove formative for them and their mother, as Cleo tries to hold the family together while attending to her duties, and dealing with her own personal tragedy.

Very much a tale of people rather than plot, with ‘Roma’ Cuarón takes the Robert Altman narrative route by beautifully recounting a little life story (or part of it) and taking his characters on a personal journey rather than heading for a destination. Just as he injected some of his experiences as a young man into his 2001 road trip drama ‘Y Tu Mamá También’, the director pours even more of himself into his return to Mexican cinema, crafting what is a semi-autobiographical account of his youth, and the women who shaped it.

Despite charting a fairly simple narrative course, ‘Roma’ is in fact deceptively intricate and will prove many things to many people. To an extent Cuarón is clearly but subtly providing us with timely social commentary on sexual equality and female empowerment, but through the prism of time and the experiences of a different era. ‘Roma’ is also a meditation on social class and cultural divide, providing a window for European and Western audiences unto the unique and strong relationship between the Latin American middle-classes and their domestic servants—a culturally typical arrangement which might see alien and uncomfortable to some eyes.

Most importantly though, ‘Roma’ is a hypnotic, completely captivating and masterfully crafted human drama with occasional comedic tones and loads of heart, fluctuating between feeling like a fly-on-the-wall family melodrama and an adaptation of a melancholy autobiographical epic written by some great early 20th century novelist—while its actual auteur crafts a very specific but broadly relatable period tale, plunging you into the lives of people with whom you will feel a deep kinship long before the end.

Along with its nuanced emotional chops and atmospheric quality, ‘Roma’ is also a visually arresting piece of work, beautifully shot in vivid black & white by the director himself, trusting his instincts from an early career as a cinematographer to help immerse the audience in the turmoil of Mexico in the early 70s. As he walks us down the bustling streets of Mexico City, the beaches of Veracruz, and the picturesque countryside, we always return to the comfortable sanctuary of the family home, complete with imported cars and freely pooping dogs—and the result has clear shades of classic European cinema, including the French New Wave and Italian neorealism.

‘Roma’s’ gorgeous aesthetic and subtle heart-stirring conception all conspire to create a thing of cinematic beauty, which will often confound you in the way it effortlessly grips you—but the characters are appropriately the core of the piece, with the professionals like Marina de Tavira as the family matriarch leading the way . . . but it’s the amateurs who have the biggest impact.

The film’s borderline ethereal quality is expertly offset by the raw, melodrama-free naturalistic performances of the less experienced cast, with the adorable children proving the innocent heart of the morality tale, but it’s former real life maid Yalitza Aparicio who truly steals the show as the young stoic pillar and emotional core of the family . . . and of ‘Roma’ itself.

‘Roma’ may seem like a no-brainer for Cuarón devotees in particular, or fans of the recent rise of Mexican filmmaking in general, but a foreign language black & white 70s family drama may prove a hard sell for a broad audience sat in expensive cinema seats . . . from where all good films should be seen. But seeing as Netflix has deprived most cinema-goers of a theatrical release, but conversely given millions of users the opportunity to watch it for free—do yourself a favour and don’t miss their first real contender come Oscar time.

The Bottom Line…

A masterfully crafted, nuanced and beautifully melancholy family drama with soulful echoes of the past but contemporary themes, Alfonso Cuarón’s triumphant return to his roots proves both an emotional and unsentimental portrait of his upbringing, and a fitting ode to the women who raised him—just another picture-perfect example of what independent and foreign language film has to offer . . . for everyone.

‘Roma’ is out on the 30th of November in selected UK theatres, and on Netflix on the 14th of December.

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