By Robert Yaniz Jr.

DAY 19 OF THE 2018 HOLIDAY BINGE

Technical mastery steals the show in this slice-of-life look at the class system in 1970s Mexico.

THE HYPE

Whether he’s taking moviegoers to Hogwarts (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) or exploring the vast blackness of space (Gravity), Alfonso Cuarón never disappoints in showing audiences something they’ve never seen before. So, four years after claiming the Best Director Oscar, Cuarón is back to turn the family drama on its head, again by telling a familiar story from a perspective we haven’t often heard from. Oh, yeah, and Netflix finally looks to finally have its first legit awards contender on its hands.

THE STORY

Roma follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a maid for a family of six living in the midst of Mexico City. The story, as it is, doesn’t follow traditional narrative structure, instead presenting both the family’s day-to-day life and Cleo’s days off-duty through her eyes. Cuarón is not so much concerned with complicated plot conventions as he is in giving viewers the opportunity to experience the disparity between Cleo’s life and those she cares for. Inspired by the maid in his own childhood household, Cuarón clearly sees this as a sincere tribute.

THE CAST

The earnestness behind Roma is compounded by Aparicio’s authentic performance, and given the emotional depths to which she plummets over the course of the film, it’s incredible to think that she reportedly has no formal acting experience whatsoever prior to Cuarón casting her in the lead here. Since Roma is so hyper-focused on Cleo’s perspective, the film doesn’t leave much room for the supporting cast to steal the spotlight, though Marina de Tavira comes closest as the harried matriarch of the central family.

THE PRODUCTION

This, as always, is where Cuarón shines. Sure, Roma boasts a powerful and simple tale as well as one of the year’s best lead performances. However, the artistry with which the filmmaker presents his vision is what makes Roma such a sweeping — literally, the camera loves to show off those panoramic vistas — technical achievement. Like so much of his previous work, Roma is very much a product of Cuarón himself, each frame meticulously pored over and calculated to absolute precision.

THE VERDICT

For viewers impressed by Cuarón’s craft, Roma will further cement their opinion that he is among the most consistently skilled filmmakers working today. Proficient though he may be at executing his vision, Roma might leave some audiences feeling underwhelmed by its lack of definitive direction and meandering pace. Truthfully, a few sequences do lean into indulgence, but the emotional payoff in Roma‘s final moments do validate the few that test your patience and your will in equal measure.

Roma stars Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira and is directed by Alfonso Cuarón.