Roma (2018) User Reviews

I get it.

[johnofardeal · 8/10 · 24 January 2019]

I get why the numerous nominations and I get why some people were disappointed by the lack of storytelling.

First things first - the cinematography is stellar and poetic. You could pause the movie every 5 seconds and get a stunning photograph. The long takes simply got me.

Secondly - yes, there is no epic story here. And you know what? That's exactly how things are in life. This is what this movie is all about - the silent drama of the boring lives we, normal people, go through as we sit on time's sidelines. In the grand schemes of things, we don't matter. Just as Cleo's drama doesn't matter to anyone except her. She's all alone with her struggles, just as we all are.

A slice of Life... with a major "L"...

[ElMaruecan82 · 9/10 · 15 December 2018]

The story of Cleo and her 'family' might hit a sensitive chord for many viewers who grew up not just in Mexico but in any Third-World country, maybe not just in the 70s but probably the 80s or early 90s.

By no means am I depriving the story from its cultural core but it was Roger Ebert who said: "The more specific a film is, the more universal, because the more it understands individual characters, the more it applies to everyone." Still, it's not just about the characters, I could relate to the context as well on a superficial but still deeply personal level.

Coming from a middle-class family of Morocco, we also had these girls who came from poorer backgrounds (generally rural areas) and whose treatment would look a bit like slavery from a European/"Western" standpoint. The term wouldn't be appropriate though as they were paid, certainly not mistreated and in most cases were considered like members of the family. Not all the ladies of the house treated them with respect but they were often loved by the kids as sister-figures or even surrogate mothers. I was practically raised by the same 'dada' from the age of 4, she dressed me, woke me up, cleaned me till I was 8 (my daughter does it alone since she's 3) and well, she was part of my life and I miss her a lot.

I could relate to the story of Cleo and I was glad that the film didn't take the predictable "clash of the classes" path: having her fired, being rejected or ending as a prostitute in some brothel of Mexico City... Cuaron is above these tiresome archetypes and his intention is clearly to take the opportunity of a nostalgic voyage through his childhood to show people with a strong capability of caring and being empathetic regardless of their origins or social backgrounds. And Cleo, played with mesmerizing naturalness by Yalitza Aparicio, is obviously a girl to inspire the very feelings she exudes: she loves the children she saw growing up since the cradle, she's devoted to her "Signora" Sofia, played by Marina de Tavira, and she values her luck to be part of that world... she knows she could have been unluckier.

It's also interesting that Cleo isn't conventionally good-looking, not in a glamorous Hollywood sense anyway, and her petite frame and youthful face illuminated with a wide smile accentuate her vulnerability. She incarnates a sort of third world within the third world, like an extra layer of fragility making her the perfect target for the kind of troubles no upper class European looking girl would get herself into. Though the film is overarched by the social and political context of Mexico circa 1970-71, I didn't feel like Cuaron tried to make some social commentary, maybe it's just a character study of a woman who could only depend on the kindness of strangers, like Blanche Dubois, but is able to find some inner strength to overcome a blind (but not malicious) adversity if not triumph over it.

And indeed, in her harrowing journey (that doesn't follow any pattern of cinematic predictability), it's less in what happens to her than the reactions it inspires. The film is less driven by plot points but the way people react and reactions to their reactions... or non-reactions for that matter. There is an interesting scene where a Karate master shows a trick that looks extremely easy until it's done with closed eyes, I don't know if it was supposed to symbolize one of the film's underlying messages, but it's true that many things that happen are due to people's obliviousness, carelessness or lack of empathy. And near the end, both Cleo and Sofia realize they had more in common than they would have thought, adversity strikes everyone... only in different ways. Blind again, but not malicious.

What I liked in "Roma", besides its realism, is the fact that it doesn't just try to depict a slice of life but Life with a major L, providing sights often suggested but rarely shown in the movies. Indeed, the film contains many graphic sequences including a naked male body (and I'm sorry to say that it's more distracting for me than a woman's... maybe because the thing "moves"... chuckles) and one that shouldn't be spoiled but that had me almost gasping with tears because it was the moment where many aspects of an editing that demanded some patience from us finally paid off, and I knew I had to expect a high spot of emotionality sometime in the film. Cuaron's "Roma" (whatever the title means) is truly daring by showing life and death with the same clinical detachment from his lenses, one that also shows in the climactic scene, hinted by the poster.

Now, I wanted to give he film a 10 because it has reached a cinematic level of perfection I rarely found in a movie but sometimes its beauty just feels so deliberate it becomes sophisticated. The film benefits from Alfonso Cuaron's perfect command of the camera (we're obviously talking of the Oscar-winner for Best Cinematography and maybe Best Director) but the cinematography tends to steal the story's thunder and compromises the film's attempt to be a realistic portrait of a Mexican's slice of life in the 70s in an atmosphere of love devoid of the cynicism we get from today's dysfunctional families. The children in the film are not only adorable but played with an authentic simplicity and since so many directors said it was a nightmare to direct children, Cuaron deserves a credit for that too.

So It's precisely because the story is so well told and well acted that I wished it wouldn't be so well directed... though I approve the choice of the black-and-white for no other reason that it gives the film a sort of dreamy aura fitting its nostalgia.

Overall, "Roma" is a great film with a few haunting moments.

Already Want to See It Again

[evanston_dad · 9/10 · 21 December 2018]

I already want to see "Roma" again.

It took me a good while to settle into the rhythms of Alfonso Cuaron's critically acclaimed new film, and by the time I did I wanted to go back and start it over to see what I might have missed. A lot comes at the viewer in "Roma," and it's hard to take it all in on a first viewing. No...that's the wrong way to put it. Nothing comes at you -- you have to go after it. That's what makes "Roma" unique. Cuaron crams his frame in any given scene with tons of movement and sound, but he shoots almost everything in medium and long shots and chooses to pan his camera rather than insert a lot of edits. The result is you have to decide what you want to look at, and while the main protagonist is in virtually every scene, she's not always necessarily the focal point.

That protagonist, by the way, is Cleo, maid to a wealthy family and played in a quiet and quietly devastating performance by Yalitza Aparicio. "Roma" is an episodic assemblage of scenes that shows what life is like for Cleo, without big showy emotional moments or much editorializing. She's treated fairly well by the family she works for, but make no mistake -- they rarely let her forget she's their employee. The film is a lot about privilege. The family treats Cleo as one of their own when they feel like it or when it's convenient to, but don't when it's not. She's part of their most intimate moments and they her's, but she'll never really be one of them. She has much to take care of, but nothing of her own to really care for. And there's a big wide world out there, the movie makes clear, that will never include people like Cleo.

For a while I was a little disappointed that I wasn't feeling "Roma" as much as I wanted to and as much as rapturous reviews led me to believe I would. I was engaged by it, but I didn't feel heavily involved emotionally. But then pretty far into the movie something happens to Cleo, and in that moment I realized how invested I was in how things turned out for her. "Roma" sneaks up on you in that way.

Grade: A

Exceptional and rare.

[Dev1999 · 14 December 2018]

First off, believe me, I tried to see it in theaters but it just did not play near me at times that were doable. I will try to see it if there are more screenings during awards season or anything, maybe that could happen.

Now to the good stuff, the film. It is truly incredible and I'm glad I kept my hopes and dreams in check and did, like usually, not even look at a trailer or anything. That was the best thing I could do. This movie for sure works best when you just jump right into it and give yourself to it.

I'm not sure where I should start with this piece of filmmaking but I think I'll just start with the performances which are absolutely brilliant and feel lived in. I truly believed in all of them and they did one hell of a job.

Now to the direction, the pretty much flawless direction. It is insanely intense and you can feel the deep passion of this project and all its meanings. The execution of this whole experience is one that can't be praised enough.

The main reasons why this remarkable movie works, in my opinion, are not its story but its characters that are so wonderfully brought to life by a dedicated cast, alongside the very naturalistic camerawork and of course the direction which is so personal and truthful in a way that is exceptional.

I am sure there is much more to unpack, talk about and praise about it, like for example the remarkable sound of it, but I'll leave it at that for now.

This is almost perfect to me, almost because there were some moments where it did not fully click for me just yet. Maybe it will completely do so after a second viewing.

Roma is obviously a must-see and whether you see it in the comfort of your home, hopefully on a 4K TV at least, or in a cinema, this is going to affect you undoubtedly and that is what huge films can achieve.

Easy to see the Oscar buzz.

[jimmycollins-973-275752 · 8/10 · 14 January 2019]

Beautifully shot. Impressive long takes as per with Cuarón. Very emotional later in the film, however slow start drags it down to an 8 in my opinion. Well worth a watch if your in the right mood.

One month later, I am still stunned...

[Lepidopterous_ · 10/10 · 13 December 2018]

Ignore the hype. Ignore the awards. Hell, ignore this review--just sit back and experience this film for yourself.

Simply put, Roma is among the richest examples of what cinema can offer.

Over the brief 134-minute runtime, we grow into a family in a patient and natural way as we live and breathe their day-to-day lives in 1970s Mexico City. The film is essentially a sequence of episodes, big or small in its impact on a family, affecting characters in different ways, and told primarily through the perspective of the housemaid, Cleo (Yalitzo Aparicio). We experience hardships, love, anger, tragedy, bliss, and even the smallest of human emotions, such as childhood naïveté. And like children, we once again embrace the details of life, from collecting hail from the ground by hand as it falls from the sky to sharing a hug as last night's rain can be heard still trickling down the gutters.

Written, directed, produced, filmed, and edited by Alfonso Cuarón, this is as much a personal work as it is a testament to an artist's vision and talent. It is a historically-grounded film that comes alive with Tati-esque significance reaching every corner of the frame, with camerawork so intentional that it fills our hearts with a mother's pain, an Ozu-like story that ranges from lighthearted to cathartic, and a brilliant pattern of recurring, cyclic, familiarizing setting elements that appreciates and brings into light the reality of everyday life.

Perhaps one of Roma's strongest thematic undercurrents is the perseverance of women within the societal stronghold of men. With its unapologetic display of evil deeds at the expense of women going criminally unnoticed every day, Roma is, in a way, a love letter to say that Cuarón did not forget the multifaceted strength of the women in his life (it is dedicated to his nanny and, like Fellini's Roma, was inspired by his own childhood).

The film's end felt like awaking from a dream. As the lights turned on, I looked around the theater, as if we have all just transported back to our own lives. Cuarón has accomplished something extraordinary here. While much of Roma comes from the memories of childhood, it is also a film that will bring each one of us back to what movies are about. And that is the greatest mark of an exceptional film.

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Stunning and unforgettable...

[TimWil014-1 · 10/10 · 9 October 2018]

I saw Roma at a screening on Saturday night at MOMA in NYC.

This is an absolutely stunning, unforgettable film. Good God, Cuaron is a fantastic director. He's also the cinematographer and his superb work on this simply couldn't be improved upon. He has perfectly cast the film from top to bottom and has guided the non-pro who plays the lead to embody her character to an extent that is truly remarkable. I can't say enough about how moving an experience this film provides. And because I don't want to discuss the plot for spoiler reasons I'll end here. However I want to urge everyone to PLEASE see this in a cinema with a great sound system-the sound mixing alone is extraordinary. Like, give the sound mixer the Oscar, already. No other work could possibly come close to approaching this towering achievement.

A little remark

[constansmutatio · 8/10 · 26 January 2019]

I would just like to mention how this movie depicts everyday struggles of women. Especially in the scene where the martial arts trainer is showing his special trick that only Masters can do and the trainees agree and admire him after their attempt. But Cleo can do it also without any effort, which goes completely unnoticed, as well as her life strengths in general. One mans special skill as an ordinary task of average woman. It was epic.

Two Great Scenes and a lot of Emptiness

[Jared_Andrews · 6/10 · 30 October 2019]

"Roma" is a movie made for a certain audience. For viewers who love art films, geek out over cinematography, art direction, and minute details, it's a godsend and a masterpiece. For viewers who want action and story that moves, they can give this one a hard pass.

To say certain parts are dull would qualify as a massive understatement. Most scenes are puzzlingly dull. I say puzzling because you might find yourself wondering if you missed something during that 20-minute stretch of nothingness. I can assure you that you did not.

The entire film contains two worth-watching scenes and 100+ minutes of emptiness.

The film constantly lingers on shots for so long you'll begin to wonder if the wonder if the camera operator fell asleep. Then the next shot usually consists of something similar, as the camera holds for an unnecessarily long time once again.

Other choices in the film are flat out bizarre. A naked sword display partway into the story serves no apparent purpose other than to encourage many Netflix viewers to stop watching and start streaming something else.

Other times the camera fixates on closeups of dog poop. For a really long time. And then we see more dog poop. I really tried to understand the purpose of these shots, but I have no answer.

To the film's credit, the two worth-watching scenes I mentioned earlier are both truly remarkable. They give director Alfonso Cuaron a chance to flex his filmmaking muscles. He masterfully makes use of long scenes with no cuts, which gives viewers no chance to breath and really makes it feel like we are there, present in the moment.

But two great scenes don't make a great movie. The boredom overwhelms the snippets of brilliance, yielding a dull final product.

If hardcore art films are your thing, give this one a try. If not, spare yourself from hours of boredom and the horrifying naked sword display scene.

Beautiful

[aly_kat-51195 · 10/10 · 16 December 2018]

Wow, what a beautiful film. From the opening scene right until the end credits, every shot could be a photograph that would carry its own story. There was something hypnotising about this film and the people within it. It's not action packed and full of forced drama - it's just life. Please watch!

An indisputable technically impeccable work, but this very realistic depiction of everyday life feels just that: mundane

[andrewroy-04316 · 7/10 · 15 December 2018]

I feel very similarly to Roma as I did to Dunkirk, though they are extraordinarily different films and subject matters. Both are made by directors I love, and both I appreciate the constant technical brilliance shown in each scene. Ultimately in both cases I was emotionally detached and thought it was a good movie but not at all a memorable one. There is no doubt that Roma leans entirely on Aparicio, and she knocks it out of the park. The subtlety to her acting and her body language and uses of silence are excellent. As is Cuaron's hallmark, the cinematography is excellent, and particularly the 360 pan with Cleo turning off the lights was well shot. The childbirth and ocean scenes were enrapturing and tense. The scene in the furniture store was my favorite of the movie - the intersection of the small private world we've seen with the family and the student protests outside was well shot and executed. I can intellectually appreciate all the things Roma has to offer, and can understand why some think it's a masterpiece and the best of the year. If it emotionally connected with people and had them crying at the end, I just didn't have that experience. It's a very well done slice of life movie that focuses on appreciation for a maid who does everything for a family, and in going through her daily life we see other major events unfold. But despite consistently great acting and cinematography and several really good scenes, the vast majority of the movie varied from smart but detached filmmaking to mundane, every day life. Maybe the black and white and Spanish elements also contributed, but I just didn't particularly enjoy most of the individual scenes. Reflecting on it as a full piece and the motifs that we see throughout allow me to enjoy and appreciate it more, but while watching it I just wasn't invested. I'm glad most love it and think this is just me not connecting with the film, but while Roma is a technical marvel, it was just a fine story.

An Art

[ashatashkar · 8/10 · 24 January 2019]

I really do not remember the last time we had such an art in the theaters, apart from the story line which could be stronger but the production, editing, screenplay and directing such an art is really fantastic. I highly suggest it. True passion, undeniable life facts, pain and challenge.

Piece of Art

[chrisjw-01026 · 7/10 · 26 December 2018]

Not exactly my flavor of movie, but wow was this a piece of art. The cinematography, blocking, and story was very carefully and beautifully crafted. Amazing homage and story. It's slow paced and a slice of life, but everyone should watch this.

Really, really great camera panning

[Flusenboy · 4/10 · 24 December 2018]

This movie is great if you like, nay, if you love camera panning. There is so much panning, it's truly fantastic. Very artistic. 90 degrees, 180 degrees, once even 450 degrees!! Oh and tracking also. Panning and tracking, tracking and panning, panning and tracking galore. And just when you think "wow, this panning has been so great and so abundant, they can't possibly squeeze in any more!" well, right at that moment you're in for a treat. No spoilers, you will need to see for yourself what treat I mean. Oh, there's also a story in there somewhere about a middle class family in the Mexico in the 70s, marital problems and a Mixtec indigenous live-in household help. But I truly don't think any of that is really relevant to the movie, at least not as much as the panning.

Cuaron's lovely ode to his childhood in Mexico City

[gortx · 14 December 2018]

The title refers to the neighborhood in Mexico City where Director Alfonso Cuaron grew up in the 70s. It could just have easily been entitled 'Libo' for the movie is the filmmaker's reflection on the woman who helped raise him - his family's maid. The fictionalized story renames the woman Cleo (a lovely natural performance by newcomer Yalitza Aparicio).

ROMA takes it's time developing its story-line. It's less a series of events, as much as an observation of a year in the life of Cleo and the family she cares for. It has been described, somewhat incorrectly, as Neo-Realist. Shooting in Black & White and having a story involving the poor does not automatically denote Neo-Realism. The movie is Cuaron's ode to his childhood. It's a memory movie, told from HIS perspective - not of Cleo's and the underclass. What makes the movie work is Cuaron's careful attention to the smallest details - simple eye contact, the food, child's play and washing dog droppings on the driveway. Important events happen to Cleo and the family, but, they are presented in the unhurried manner that feels truer than in most contrived screenplays.

The aforementioned Black & White cinematography is by Cuaron himself (his regular cameraman, Emmanuel Lubezki was unavailable). The camera-work feels very much 'directed'. At times, you can almost feel Cuaron steering the camera to capture exactly what Cuaron, the Director, feels is critical. The effect cuts both ways. On one hand, it becomes a true Auteur project (Cuaron also writes and is the co-editor!). On the other, it further emphasizes that this is CUARON's story, and not that of Cleo and the other characters. In that way, Cuaron comes between the viewer and the action on screen.

Much has been made about Aparicio's performance, and, it is a wonder. Much of the other cast are also non-professionals (in that way, it does have a connection to Neo-Realist cinema) and they perform ably. The other tech credits are solid, but, the main discussion has been on the 65mm Digital photography (a somewhat confusing moniker that has some believing it was shot on actual film). The larger sensor does give it a clearer image than traditional digital camerawork, but, seen in a movie theater on DCP, still lacks the richer black level and silvery white level of actual 65mm Film. For all the acclaim (and awards) Cuaron and ROMA's cinematography has gotten, it still resembled Grey & Greyer more than true celluloid B&W.

ROMA is a lovely memoir. It isn't a movie to be dissected as one would normally do for its plotting. It is best to let it wash over you - just as the movie frequently does with water flowing and jets gliding above.

Emotional,powerful

[sidsun27 · 9/10 · 14 December 2018]

This film started out making me feel that this is gonna be different. After 1hour of progression i felt the cinematography is top notch and surely gonna be a masterpiece in critic point of view. The next 1hour of the film is so painful and emotional with intense shots. The long shots are handled so well and you dont even notice the background score isn't in this film because such films can be affecting you emotionally without any background score.

In the best of the decade

[lukietd-55963 · 10/10 · 17 September 2018]

Alfonso Cuarón might be my favourite living director, jesus that was brilliant. Where to begin with this masterpiece...

Well - to start - 'Roma' is one of the most beautiful films of the decade, every shot is masterfully executed, blocked, framed, and detailed. Cuarón himself was the cinematographer in this project, and he did a phenomenal job. You can't help but have your jaw on the floor the entire runtime. Right from the opening shot I knew I was in for something masterful. Cuarón's signature long takes were ever prevelant here, and each was as masterful as the last. Sometimes he lingers on a subject beautifully to exentuate a point, or makes a small adjustment to a shot - giving it a completely different meaning. The symmetry and pure brilliance of every single scene sends chills down your spine. I won't spoil it, but there's a particular shot near the middle of the film involving a man singing, where Caurón plays with the contrast between background and foreground so powerfully it got even got a few tears rolling.

Cuarón's visual motifs find their way across the film, tying the somewhat loose plot into a resounding and heart wrenching force. Again - no spoilers - but he uses planes, water, cars, dogs, and themes of birth and death to represent metaphorically or sometimes literally how characters feel and how their relationships to eachother are.

The lead performance from Yalitza Aparicio was great, especially considering this is the first film she's ever acted in. Hats off to the casting director for plucking her out of obscurity and having her end up delivering such a resounding performance. I really hope this movie will jump start a career for her.

This film is a grandmaster at the top of his game, and is breathtaking perfection from start to finish. Alfonso Cuarón returns to his Spanish roots for a passion project he's been talking about since 2006. He excercises almost total creative control by wearing a lot of hats on the production. He directed, co-produced, wrote, edited, and photographed this film. A complete 180 from his last three studio works (although some of them are masterpieces), ROMA exercises more storytelling prowess than them, and no one will be calling this film 'style over substance' no matter how beautiful it is.

'Roma' is another Cuarón masterpiece, and I'm happy that it will be seen to a vastly larger audience because of the Netflix distribution. However, that is also a double edged sword - because this is a film that is best seen on the big screen, but I'm still pleased more people will be exposed to this masterclass in filmmaking. I urge you to watch this the second you have the chance, because Cuarón has made one of the best films of the decade.

Emotional, a story that hasn't been told

[bryanberrios96 · 9/10 · 12 December 2018]

It felt so great to get out of the mainstream cinema mindset and ran into this. Beyond raw masterpiece. The cinematography and color grading were so clever and beautiful it transported you to the time period. And the emotions were perfectly placed. It came it the right moment and nothing was forced. There's no twist no big surprises just life.

The Daily Life of a Maid in the 70´s in Mexico

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 22 February 2019]

The boring daily life of a maid in the 70´s in Mexico is the storyline of "Roma". The screenplay follows the life of Cleo, the maid of an upper middle-class family. This is a typical film for professional critics and viewers from the First World. For a Third World viewer, the situations shown in "Roma" happen everywhere and every time and are part of the dailylife. The beautiful black-and-white cinematography and the excellent camerawork are the great parts of this average and overrated film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Roma"

Amor is Roma!!!

[monberger · 10/10 · 26 January 2019]

Roma is essentially beautiful unique of a film. Cuarón has demonstrated creatively innovated way to tell a story. The direction, cinematography, production design, sound and sound mixing are in compass to make a beautiful harmonious work of art. There's not an original score for this film which it makes it stand alone, instead Cuarón has used pieces of radio hit songs from that era, as part of the environmental scene. It's well crafted screenplay perfectly works with the acting of every cast in Roma, especially with the two leads in the film. Aparicio and Tavira are magnificent portraying a passage in the life of 1970's middle class Mexican family. It's simple, and real. It's 10 nominations for the Oscars are truly deserved it, and my hopes are that is given at least the two top awards for this masterpiece, best directing and best picture of the year. Note: if you are a superficial cinema watcher, this is not for you.

Overpromoted to a disgusting degree

[ef-vasilakis · 7/10 · 23 February 2019]

No masterpiece needs a campaign that costs 30 million to win best picture....

A masterpiece!

[edgarsolis · 10/10 · 8 December 2018]

Roma is the latest movie of a Mexican filming director, and Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón. Through this amazing piece of art, Cuarón opened his memories and releases a package of a pure personal and family intimacy.all of this wrapped with tenderness and warm moments, but at the same time with a raw reality that spread on the screen the cruelty of the broken human condition that belongs to all of us. In the midst of the daily battles that we all fight, and through the lenses of a normal mid class family in the Roma neighborhood in Mexico City, Cuarón depicts the surroundings of everyone's life in the 70ths, with all the dynamics of people's lives, coming and going in the everydayness of our broken and fullness humanity, describing the relationships that represents to belong. The normal and little details are presented with a masterful hand through the lenses both technically and emotional of Cuarón's eyes... There is not a typical villain or a stereotypical hero that we can hate or inspire us from a Hollywood movie type. There is no cultural holocaust to wipe out the views of others, instead we all are there...and from the normality of everyone, a simple and humble character emerge to slap all our pride, racial, cultural, economical bias and divisions. This character's powerful and tender personality is presented in the midst of a social and political turmoil to let us know that a simple act of presence and care could be the difference between life and death. That's the power of this movie, it makes us reflect and feel deep inside of us our humanity with outstanding normality, humbleness and emotion, the kind of movie that you'll never forget

Better than expected

[alejandra-huggins · 7/10 · 31 January 2019]

I was hesitant to watch Roma based on the reviews that called it a boring film. But when I didn't have anything else to watch, I decided to give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised. I knew the cinematography was going to be beautifully done but I didn't expect to be so interested in the story. Maybe it's because I'm Mexican or because I can understand Spanish or because I'm familiar with Mexico City. Whatever it was, the movie held on to my attention from start to finish. I really connected with Cleo too. She's a strong woman that kept a brave face through everything she'd been through up until she lost her baby. I enjoyed the connection the children had with her and the realness between Sofia and Cleo.

Stunning cinematography mixed with pathos and a boring story line

[ilikeimdb · 5/10 · 18 December 2018]

For the most part, watching Roma was about as interesting as watching paint dry...but not just *any* paint, but the most perfect, precious, beautifully applied paint imaginable. And not just paint in any room, but a room designed to be the best room with the best lighting and the best layout...and, oh, this was paint drying under high humidity conditions so you needed to watch the paint dry in a single, long-flowing take to appreciate the reflective nuances of the paint in all its evolving glory and often from unusually low angles of perspective since that yields special visual treats. Best Director. Best Cinematography. Best Paint Job. Ultimately not engaging.

Stunning slice of life

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 2 January 2019]

Have a lot of admiration for Alfonso Cuaron as a director. Also really like to love almost all of his films (having been mixed on 'Great Expectations'), though 'Gravity' is one of those more appreciate than love divisive films that also boasted some of the best cinematography and direction of that year. Of his previous films am especially fond of 'Children of Men' and 'A Little Princess' (the film that introduced me to his work and is a personal favourite) in their own way for different reasons.

Was really excited in seeing 'Roma', with talks of it being one of the highlights of 2018, one of Cuaron's best films and trusted friends saying how emotional it was and especially praising the cinematography, direction and sound mixing. Nothing was going to stop me from seeing 'Roma' with the praise being as high as that, despite the (from personal opinion) rather condescending detractors being quite vocal, including making ignorant and off-base paid reviews allegations that says more about themselves than it says those they're criticising. After seeing 'Roma', and this is a genuine opinion here, am going to join those praising the film. Praise that 'Roma' deserves every ounce of and more. One of my favourite films of 2018 definitely, and it has been a variable year so that is saying quite a bit, and quite possibly Cuaron's best film.

'Roma', being a semi-autobiographical film, is Cuaron at his most personal, both the writing and the direction. One of the main reasons why 'Roma' did such a lot for me was the emotion, with such brutal thought-provoking realism and poignant, without being over-sentimental, pathos it was the film that connected with me the most emotionally. It also was him at his most thought-provoking and there was no sugar-coating, in fact what was also admirable was the not holding anything back pulls no punches approach. It depicted real life situations and struggles and in a way that was relatable and hard not to get nostalgic or moved over.

The pacing has been criticised for being slow, it is deliberate but personally was caught up in the emotion and the compelling realism of the very personal story-telling to care. Plus since when has a film being slow ever always being a bad thing? It only is a problem when there's no reason to be and with the subject to me it came over that the deliberate pace for 'Roma' was not an accidental choice. Sure, finding its rhythm is not immediate but it is very rewarding when stuck with (rather than stopping watching after a ridiculously short period of time and then bragging about doing it). The script is sincere and thoughtful, not written or delivered heavy-handedly.

Now we get onto what is especially great about 'Roma'. It is a visually stunning film, have not seen cinematography this amazing, varied or clever in a long time and it complements the evocative setting and the strikingly effortless and atmospheric lighting so brilliantly one is truly immersed. Another major star is Cuaron's direction, showing a visual master of his craft and a person clearly passionate and in love with the story he's telling. Both wholly deserving of major awards attention. Same with the sound-mixing which has all three of the qualities that the cinematography has been described has, so appropriate to the mood and enhances it in a way that few other films this year have done so well. As well as the astonishing and very moving breakthrough lead performance from Yalitza Aparicio, as the most compellingly real and rootable character in a film full of them and strong performances.

In conclusion, absolutely loved it. 10/10 Bethany Cox