Roma

The nominees for the Best Picture Academy Award were announced yesterday and there was only one film that I hadn't seen yet (you can read my commentaries for Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Green Book, Vice, and A Star Is Born by clicking on the titles).  Since I always like to see the nominated films before the big ceremony, I decided to see Roma while it was still playing at one of my favorite art house theatres last night.  This movie is a masterpiece.  It chronicles a year in the life of a domestic servant named Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) and the affluent family she works for in Mexico City during the early 1970s.  Much of the narrative involves the mundane chores of Cleo's every day life: cleaning the house and courtyard, cooking and serving meals to the family, waking the four children, taking them to school, and putting them to bed.  Soon, however, both Cleo and Sofia (Marina de Tevira), the matriarch of the family, face a similar situation.  Cleo begins a relationship with Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero) and, when she discovers that she is pregnant, he leaves her (in one of the most heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen).  Sofia's husband Antonio (Fernando Grediaga) leaves to attend a medical conference in Quebec and when it is over he does not return to the family's home.  The tumult in their personal lives is mirrored by the unrest in Mexico culminating in the massacre of student demonstrators.  Through it all the two women support each other and it is a beautiful story of redemption (Director Alfonso Cuaron has stated that this film is a tribute to the women who raised him).  There are two incredibly emotional scenes near the end of the film that absolutely shattered me but serve to highlight the resilience of these women and I don't think I will stop thinking about them any time soon.  The film is in black and white without a score and this really allowed me to see the careful composition of each shot.  There are many recurring images, such as a car being parked in a narrow alley, planes flying in the background, and water being splashed on the cobblestones of the courtyard, which are so full of meaning.  Aparicio gives an incredible performance as a quiet and self-contained woman who becomes more and more concerned about her own and Sofia's situation.  I loved that this film is a deeply personal story set against the backdrop of the larger political context within Mexico.  I highly recommend it!

Note:  I definitely want Bohemian Rhapsody to win Best Picture but, in all honesty, perhaps Roma should win.