![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wandertruenorth.comwp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/th.jpg?resize=250%2C167&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nROMA is a gorgeous piece of art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warning \u2013 this will contain spoilers!\u00a0 For our spoiler-free review, please see FictionAddict.com.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Also \u2013 I would like to take a moment to say that if you require films to have non-stop The film begins quietly with a long shot of floor tile being\nwashed with soapy water and a mop, planes being reflected in the water. This truly represents the pace of the film.\nThe opening sequence is long. But it is needed. It\u2019s peaceful. It\u2019s oddly\nsoothing. It\u2019s enough time for the viewer to settle in and take a breath. It\u2019s\npaced, like rain falling on your roof early in the morning. It feels like a\nmeditation. Giving us permission to close out the noise of our real lives and\nlisten to the life of another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ROMA follows the life of Cleo, a housekeeper, in Mexico from\n1970-1971. Cleo spends her days simply: doing her job, running errands, taking\ncare of a family, handling all of the details of their mid-century home. The days are quiet, with Cleo cleaning and\ncooking and listening to her small hand-held radio, but when the four children\narrive home from school, the house breaks out in joyous chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cleo discovers that she is pregnant and suddenly faces a massive dilemma. The father has no interest in her or his child, so the family she serves rallies to help her with doctors and step in where needed.\u00a0 But essentially life for Cleo is exactly the same \u2013 aside from the child growing in her belly. Paralleling her story is political unrest outside of the\nwalls of the home and marital unrest inside. The father has left his family for\nanother woman. He lies and tells the children that he is teaching in Canada and\ndoesn’t know when he will be home. The mother is in a panic, considering how\nshe will now raise the children as a single mother. She vents much of her anger\nsymbolically and slowly, continually denting her husband\u2019s excessive car in\ndeliberate ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And the newly structured family deals with life and learns\nto move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ROMA triumphs on a multitude of levels \u2013 <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, Cleo, portrayed by Yalitza Aparicio, is a silent,\nsteady character. Her performance is magnificent for a first-time actress, as\nshe commanded every scene while essentially saying nothing. She belongs to the\nhome where she works, she belongs to the family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, Alfonso Cuaron is proving once again to be one of the elite filmmakers alive today. This film is a masterclass. The cinematography is breathtaking, the editing flawless, and the screenplay and dialogue make every moment matter. I thought CHILDREN OF MEN and GRAVITY were feats of filmmaking. They pale in comparison to what Cuaron has achieved with ROMA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The powerful symbolism cannot be overlooked as well. Planes\nfly overhead in key scenes, showing the possibility of a bigger world. Pointing toward key moments. Water is a\ncentral character, the washing of the bricks in the driveway, the washing of\nlaundry, the washing of a baby, and a pivotal end scene where Cleo has to brave\nher fears for the sake of the children she loves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I also resonated with the statement from Sra. Sofia to Cleo:\n\u201cWe are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women are always alone.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The pair have a commitment to support each other, even when\nthe men who made promises and vows suddenly vanish. Women band together\nthroughout the film, strong and steadfast, showing quiet strength. In the\nridiculous scene where Fermin is practicing his martial arts, the teacher boasts\nthe ability to do an amazing feat, a mind\/body ability only accomplished by\nthose who have spent their life devoted to the martial arts. But this \u2018feat\u2019 is\na simple yoga tree pose that pregnant Cleo can perform with ease, while the\nlines of men aspiring to become feared fighters fall due to their lack of\nbalance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The mutual respect between the women is a challenge \u2013 to not\njudge based on economic levels but to care for, stand up for, and protect each\nother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Observing this story, one of the main things that stuck out to me was just how loved Cleo is. The children adore her and the youngest son even chastises her when she speaks her native Mixteco. He can\u2019t understand her words, which is frustrating because he so wants to be involved in her life. When Sra. Sofia (Marina de Tavira) hears of her pregnancy, she immediately takes action and, despite her marriage and finances falling apart, she makes sure Cleo has all the medical care she needs. The family Matriarch, Sra. Teresa (Veronica Garcia), is determined to get the baby a crib at their favorite furniture store, despite the political unrest exploding in the streets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And the chaos of the scene in the hospital when Cleo has her\nbaby may be one of the most heart-wrenching pieces of cinema I\u2019ve seen in a\nlong time. I could go on and on, but I have to say that ROMA is a film\nthat has stuck with me. It made me want to strengthen my relationships with the\nwomen in my life. It made me examine who I need to draw closer into my family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I have no idea how to end this review, as there is so much more I want to say \u2013 but And now I\u2019m going to go and watch it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/wandertruenorth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Cleo-at-the-end-of-Roma.jpg?fit=1024%2C512\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n(According to IMDB, all of the people in that scene were not actors \u2013 they were\nactual hospital workers, so all of the actions, sounds, and discussions were\nvery real.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n