Roma (2018)

[Con 5,719]

Roma (2018)

Best Picture Nominee

The Awesome: A Black & White film with its cinematography in full splendid color. I cannot put into words how beautiful this film is shot and framed, where do I begin, I usually don't prefer Black & White films, not when I have these rods and cones in my eyes enabling me to see color. But here, B&W is a blessing because there are some scenes where so much going on inside the frame that had the same majestic wide shots been colorized, it could have turned into one big busy jumble of colors and instead get this amazing B&W which enhances every movement in the frame, from the dog scratching itself in the distance to the random lady buying a toy for her child from the street vendor in the foreground, we see everything crisply. Early on we get treated to these wide slow indoor sweeping shots and  I felt that this camera technique would be overdone and it is but you know what, it really made me stand up and notice when the camera doesn't move and I got to take in these gorgeous post-card like shots. The camera is kept still in most of the scenes outside the families residence, those shots of the street were some of the most beautiful crisp shots I have ever seen in B&W, I could almost smell the 70's Central American air, and is where you can appreciate the stillness of the camera. Production Design truly needs to take a bow because they absolutely nailed the feel of 1970-1971 Central America through the amazing wardrobes, cars,  store signs, I mean they accurately and passionately rebuilt four blocks of the old Mexico City. The performances by everyone are really fantastic and like in "A Star Is Born", the filmmaker also got 10,000% out of every major, minor, and extra actor. But Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) is tremendous, you could have told me, "they grabbed some housekeeper from someone's patio and told her to just be herself." and I would have believed you because this woman does a great job really getting me to care so much about her because she just has this air of being the sacrificial lamb in the film, does she become that sacrificial lamb??? That's for me to know and you to find out. Where Cleo fully cemented her impact on me is what she reveals at the beach in the third act because I had read her body language wrong the entire time regarding her incident. The Sound Design....another fucking WOW! Immediately after watching it I went back to two scenes that were simply forces of nature to me, just to see if a musical cue was playing to manipulate me into feeling something and that is when it dawned on me that there is no score or sentimental music playing in the background, same thing "A Star Is Born" did except "A Star..." let the actors singing be the score to the film but in Roma the images we are seeing are so powerfully human that I would have put money that I had heard sentimental music playing during those scenes but I can assure you that those scenes and the entire film are void of any score. The film is a B&W visceral treat and anyone that appreciates cinema regardless of where the story heads should NOT miss this film!! I loved when we get to see the brutal contrast between the life someone like Senora Sofia enjoys and what Cleo would be living like if she did not work for the family, we see it when Cleo goes to find Fermin, we see how her people live and how she is fortunate to have that job. The Killing Zoe-ish element of the crib shopping scene was thrilling and just wish there was some follow up regarding it because it carries so much fucking emotional weight. 

The Good: The superb script. I really wish I could let non-spanish speakers experience the script the way I did and not just because it's in my native language but because what is said is just some of the most realistically delivered dialogue I have heard in a long time, I wish I could lend you my ears, I mean, the kids moments between themselves are great as what they speak really feels real and like I was watching a documentary---- I thought the kids from "Slumdog Millionaire" were good, but these kids were tremendous. There is not a single wasted line of dialogue throughout the entire film. Some of my fave script moments come when a stressed-out Senora Sofia (Marina de Tavira) lashes out at Cleo, I cannot express how real these scoldings come across, they are powerful because while Senora Sofia does need Cleo, she is replaceable like most of us at our jobs, sure we are liked and even loved but push comes to shove, there are always applicants right behind us. I really enjoyed little Pepe (Marco Graf) and his reincarnation stories he tells Cleo, they just cracked me up that the youngest of the kids really believes he was multiple people in his lifetime and it's the way he delivers those lines that made me contemplate if he was telling the truth, again his stories had nothing to do with the movie but damn if he didn't make me pay attention to those scenes. I loved how raw they present the aboriginal condition, even on their own land they are viewed as second class, almost a caste system for a lack of a better term. I mean, the people that were on the land mass first and just become second class, I mean how fucked up that? These are the heirs to the land mass, have everything stolen and then are delegated to servant positions...that being said, I love how the film shows that regardless of your social class, income, origin, race, and geography, we all go through the same life struggles and sometimes we just hit patches where nothing goes our way, we are abandoned, betrayed, let down, disillusioned, and no matter how much materialism you have accumulated at the end of the day, none of those things heal or comfort us and this is experienced both by Senora Sofia and Cleo despite their positions in this society. I felt that some of the best scenes in the film happen in the hospital, I mean, take the scene where Cleo visits the maternity ward, I sat there and tried to get a meaning out of it and wasn't until the last act at the beach that I found a more metaphorical meaning and I would love to discuss how everyone interprets that particular maternity ward scene. When we meet the family I noticed Tono (Diego Cortina Autrey) playing with an american football and just found that extremely curious since it's the 1971 and pretty sure the NFL wasn't playing games there yet and to my very happy surprise, we see where this influence originates from and it makes all the sense in the world, it just takes awhile to get there. The scene where Cleo seems to be the only one who can perform Profesor Zovek's (Pro wrestler Latin Lover) physical challenge just had me in stitches. 

The Bad: The film is gorgeous but not everyone is going to appreciate the simple character study of an aboriginal maid working for a middle-class family in Mexico City in 1971 and the first hour is a slow burn as we are taken along to Cleo's mundane existence and if you came to see action, kicks and punches, shit coming at you at 100 mph, well then you will be disappointed because the first act is about getting to know Cleo and getting the audience to embrace her for her hard work and humbleness. Color me a little let down by the ending but that's because the entire time my horror-hound ass wanted to see something else happen just for shock-value, that's not to say I didn't enjoy the ending, I found it powerful and yes, a bit "scary" too. The subtitles will prevent people from watching this and that is a shame because it's a visual spectacle. Okay, look I get the power of the scene where Cleo goes through her most traumatic situation and I get that that is how perhaps things went down in 1970's Mexico City but dammit, did they really have to Cleo see what was happening? I mean, fuck me, like the shit wasn't bad enough already...and at some point I would have limited what she could see. I actually laughed at the conclusion of the scene where Cleo and Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero) go to the cinema, I apologize for that, I just found the notion of what happens funny and I really shouldn't. The film does not follow a conventional plot so in order to fully enjoy it you may have to observe it rather than watch it, I hope that makes sense. The damn dog poop really bothered me, I mean, I know in watching it a second time I might tie the turds in with the narrative but for now I can't help but think these maids would allow the turds to accumulate like they are in some scenes. Yes, at one point Cleo gets yelled about not picking them up but too many instances pass where everyone seems oblivious to the dog logs. There some scenes where the cacophony becomes a bit much but at least the sounds are as crisp as the cinematography.

The Ugly: Very glad I didn't have children watching with me because I would have had to explain the full-frontal naked ninja wannabe character with all his junk flopping everywhere as he demonstrates his kung-fu technique, so make sure you are aware of it if you are watching this with your family, talk about shock value, I know the film carried a "Graphic nudity" listing but did not expect that moment at all. There is also another scene where a fire breaks out and two things occur that made me scratch my head, the first one is why would children be allowed to remain near the fire and why would a person wearing straw go near a fire and worst, start singing?? It was the only time I felt the film lost reasoning and yes, I know this was an era where doctors were smoking cigarettes inside the hospitals so child safety isn't what it is today but still...I wouldn't want my kid near a wildfire, not at 9- years old or 34-years old. It is also the scene where the film gets a bit artsy and it goes against the tone I felt but thankfully we do not get more of those moments. Sometimes that out-of-tune band gets annoying with how loud they get even if they do serve as a great contrast to what is happening internally with the characters at that very moment. I really hate that I didn't see this on the big screen...I hope it comes back to theatres if it wins Best Picture.

Final Verdict...4/5... An authentic visual masterpiece of a simple character study that bathes in the splendor of its black and white brilliance. We become so accustomed to the usual formulaic beats in most feature films that when we get stories like this we become torn whether we "get them or not" but for me "I got it", I just can't give it a perfect score because I'm sitting here wishing there was an alternate ending even if I accept that the story is based on the filmmaker's real life childhood and is being told from the point of view of his real life Cleo. This is a must watch for anyone that loves being behind any form of camera and anyone who loves Black & White films, what's on this canvas will probably please you to no end. This film nails the era spectacularly and look forward to watching it without focusing on the principle characters and instead check out some of that activity that fills so many scenes. I spent six months in Central America (Honduras) in 1995, I lived amongst the people, rode the public transportation, visited many undeveloped towns, and the scene where Cleo goes to find Fermin really reminded me of that trip because it's set in the rural area and when it rains in those areas, huge puddles are created in the mud and people have to lay planks of wood to get across and while I'm sure it's a common practice anywhere there is no pavement, in undeveloped third world towns, it's just a part of normal life as there is no money for paving roads and sidewalks. And that contrast between the paved city and the unpaved impoverished towns shown in the film, I experienced IRL and I absolutely loved and appreciated the authenticity of that and so much more in the film. Remember, my trip was in 1995 and this film is set in 1971....so 24-years later, many parts of Central America were still undeveloped like we see in the film, although I hear that today there has been tons of progress and many of the areas I visited are now developed with KFC's and Wendy's restaurants. 

Does it deserve the Best Picture nominee? I would say without question, so many things were done expertly, I really cannot give the sound design enough justice, it really is impressive. The cinematography is impressive. All the elements are here to win not only in the Best Picture category but several others. 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Con

[Con 5,719]

Here is a short video explaining how they shot the Beach scene...don't worry there are no spoilers but honestly, if you have not watched it and are over 90% you will watch it, then skip the video as it does set up one of the important moments in the film and you should experience it in full, trust me it's worth it. 

For the rest of you that did watch it, enjoy learning how they shot it and what they manipulated to get that shot.  Cool little moment at the start where we see a glimpse of what the film would have looked like in color. I will also include some behind the scene clips for those of you that have already watched it.

 

 

 

This clip will spoil something very important in the film....you've been warned:

 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Con