The movie tells the story of Cleo (first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio who must now star in ALL the things), a maid for an affluent family in Mexico City. The opening credits are of soapy water flowing over tiles in the forecourt of the family home, and as you watch the shadow of a plane flying overhead on the lapping waves, you know that what you are about to enjoy is an artistic feast for the senses. Indeed, it is paramount that you turn the volume up, because this movie surrounds you with the cacophony of Mexico City. Dogs are barking, cars are honking, crickets are chirping, the radio's blaring. While the foreground may follow Cleo's adventures, there are a thousand other stories taking place in the background. I liken it to a Where's Waldo book - you know there's a central character you're supposed to be looking for, but as you gaze at the page, there's so much happening in the periphery that you sometimes have to remind yourself to return to Cleo and her employers.
I won't go into any more detail about what happens to Cleo or the family she works for. Things build on each other gradually and by the time the film reached its conclusion, I was startled to discover that I was irrevocably in love with this woman and rooting for her every moment. The reason I was startled is because this is such a classically "arty" film; shot in black and white, with breathtakingly crisp cinematography and scenes that are staged to elicit the best effects of light and shadow to dazzle your eyes. In the midst of all this beauty, I didn't think I felt an emotional connection to the story, but how wrong I was. Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira (who plays Sofia, Yalitza's employer) both break your heart in different ways as women struggling to get by, even though they come from extremely different backgrounds.
Roma is a magnetic movie, compelling to look at and listen to, but also deeply affecting and emotional. It highlights the everyday beauty in a maid's mundane existence and the ugliness among the upper classes, and brings them together in dramatic set pieces that are as gorgeous as they are frightening. There are terribly sad moments, but also incredibly funny ones (watch out for every scene with the family car - they made me laugh and then reached a very satisfying resolution). I won't be surprised if Alfonso Cuaron nabs an armload of Oscars next year - as writer, editor, cinematographer, producer, and director, this is emphatically his vision and his story, and it is a love letter to the city of his childhood. In one scene, some characters watch the 1969 space movie Marooned in a theater, and you immediately know this is what inspired Cuaron to make Gravity 44 years later.
Roma reminded me a great deal of my summers in India, and made me wonder about the inner lives of the maids who always came in and out of my relatives' homes. I am woefully ignorant of Mexican history and did not understand the political backdrop of riots and unrest, but who cares about worldly matters when your only focus is to ensure that Cleo will be alright? Like the family she worked for, I loved Cleo so, so much, and I could happily spend a few more hours watching her lie in the sun after doing the laundry and listen to the birds sing. Does the art sometimes feel artificial and heightened? Yes. But does it star a woman who is so beguiling that you will find her every movement to be as graceful as a ballerina's? Yes.
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