Roma

The best works of the Czechoslovak new wave (although Fellini would know one in that) has just grown to include a related Mexican cousin, who in the circles of “more demanding" viewers can perhaps not even evoke many captivating Mexican waves. Which is so telling that I will forgive the originally intended hymns for every single aspect, from non-actors through filming and sounding to the sophistication of the narrative, which completely fulfills the saying “the devil is hidden in the details". What Cuarón, as a screenwriter / cinematographer / director, can “as if inadvertently" do in mise-en-scène (or purely noise outside the picture) in mere hints, is more than admirable. To make matters worse, despite the seemingly primordial coldness, this “celebration of ordinary strong women in our lives" is also captivating and arousing emotions like a few movies in recent years. Roma looks like a film that was five decades earlier. However, thanks to its qualities, it would not be forgotten, even if it was actually created fifty years ago. On the contrary, it would be lovingly remembered in the intentions “such master pieces are unfortunately no longer filmed today". Thanks to Cuarón, however, this is not the case; and for that one must be infinitely grateful, whether ultimately Roma is his cup of coffee or not. (15/12/2018)

A normal viewer who seeks spectacle and entertainment while watching movies will most likely be unimpressed by Roma. However, I think that for festivalgoers and a club audience, the film will represent the embodiment of what an artistic film should be. It was filmed in a similar manner as in the 60s and 70s when authorial and autobiographical works were in their prime and enlightened producers invested in them without hesitation. It was a time when directors commonly cast non-actors, and Cuarón does the same here. He is not afraid of improvisation, and the same goes for the Mexican directorial star. Roma feels genuine and authentic. Granted, I am not an expert, but the atmosphere of Mexico City in the early 70s seems perfect to me, as well as the casting. Cuarón must have paid maximum attention to the casting, and Yalitza Aparicio does not play the role of a servant, she simply is one. Devoted, resigned to her position, slightly naive, intoxicated by her first sexual adventure, and confused by the subsequent indifference. Her presence and precise camera work are the director's greatest weapons. The black and white visuals refer to the era of European art film of the 50s and 60s. In many shots, it felt as if I was watching a documentary from that time in the Mexican capital. Thanks to the monumental visual compositions, Roma should be seen on a big screen, which I managed to do after a long search. I would even dare to say that it loses a significant amount of impact on a small screen. It is a slowly flowing intimate film that, although not feminist in nature, mostly depicts the world and emotions of women. Overall impression: 85%. (30/11/2020)

A film with the very distinctive signature of its creator, Roma tells a story about the fragile aspects of life more through its visual art than through the faces and dialogue of its characters. Though it does work with dialogue and facial expressions (and Yalitza Aparicio is great), it does not offer the audience a universally appealing, traditionally emotional message (the film doesn’t even have any “viewer-manipulating” original music). After using his extraordinary filmmaking talent for the commercial blockbuster Gravity, Cuarón wanted to enjoy some pure filmmaking pleasure, without any obligations to studio investments. Roma is a brilliant piece of art in which I admired every shot (three or four scenes were quite disturbing to me) and perceived and acknowledged all of the social references (class-based society, the extraordinary strength of a woman with a difficult fate), but it did not engage me emotionally as much as Gravity or Children of Men. (07/02/2019)

I feel like I have to like Roma if I want to consider myself a film connoisseur. I'm not even close to being one. I'm just a casual viewer. I watch movies that I assume I might enjoy, or ones I want to see if I might happen to enjoy. This movie was in the latter group. I found the answer. I didn't much enjoy Roma. It was too "artsy" and lethargic for me. What I can't deny this film, however, is the atmosphere and the interesting cinematography. The film certainly has other bonuses, but unfortunately I can't appreciate them properly, at least not yet. (24/03/2019)

The rumors didn't lie, at least not in terms of paying tribute to mothers and women in general. However, at the core of the whole epic, there is nothing but confirmation of the known truth that, in the end, the fairer sex is stronger and more prepared for life. The skill with which Alfonso Cuarón builds a complex dramatic arc in the midst of what seems to be an ordinary situation is undeniable. The only problem for me, one that persists throughout the entire film, is the way the twists are delivered. Very few things bother me as much as when a character indulges in long, uninterrupted shots during an instantly induced depression. It's nothing more than a call for artificial attention that causes the cohesion of family and life's upheavals to crumble before my eyes. (17/12/2018)