2018 movie
Rating: 18/20
Plot: A nanny/housekeeper named Roma (this is wrong information--ignore) has a story that nobody really pays that much attention to.
With symbolic water and airplanes (the latter which I have a great idea that I discovered all by myself which will be shared below) and extreme efforts taken to make the protagonist into a saint, I could understand if this got a little annoying for some people. However, I don't think anybody can criticize the technical aspects of this, a masterpiece of imagery and camerawork and choreography and framing. You might expect that from Alfonso Cuaron based on what he did in things like Children of Men and Gravity, this bravado filmmaking with show-off sequences and effects. Here, nothing stands out immediately as being overly complex or ostentatious until a few seconds pass and you think, "Holy hell! That sure was impressive! How the heck did he even pull that off?"
I'm thinking of tracking shots as characters run along a sidewalk, a barely perceivable forest fire, another natural disaster in an earthquake, a well-choreographed riot, a man trying to park a car, an opening shot that transforms into something that you could almost call magical realism, a climactic action scene that is likely the best thing I've seen all year. There absolutely is a bravado there, shots that make it clear you're watching a real auteur at work, but still, nothing about this seems forced or show-offy. There's so much going on in almost every frame of this movie that I wanted to watch the whole thing again the next day. I was reminded of both Tati and Fellini, but Cuaron really has his own voice with this one.
The black and white was gorgeous, but it also keeps the viewer from being distracted, helping you focus on just what you need to focus on. And "what you need to focus on" is a real key here. There's a family drama that is one narrative arc in this, but once you realize who the protagonist of this movie actually is--and it took me a little while--and then think about the whole thing later, you really figure out what this movie is all about. This is about the narrative arcs of characters who are generally in the background. You ever watch a movie with an interesting auxiliary character and wish that person got his or her own movie? That's kind of what this is. And so it makes sense that in a lot of the shots of this movie, you've got all these things going on in the background, as mundane as an unnamed couple having a small argument in a restaurant or as exciting as a man being shot out of a rocket.
As much as I want to write about what the planes mean and take credit for the theory, I fear a lawsuit from one of my 4 1/2 readers. Josh provided an explanation which really makes complete sense to me. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'll say this: to "get" what the planes are all about, you might not want to see them from our vantage point but instead think of the prospective of the people on the plane.
In a lot of ways, this movie is the perfect movie for 2018 and the #MeToo era. There are a trio of men here who are just terrible, but only one shows off his kung-fu skills and dick simultaneously.
Yalitza Aparicio's performance is nearly perfect, mostly in how she manages to appear as a character in the background of a story that she is the protagonist of. That's not an easy feat to pull off, I imagine. She blends, and when she's allowed some brief smiles or displays of emotions, you really feel that the character earned them. It took me about 20 minutes to figure out that hers was the character I was supposed to be paying attention to, but by the end of the film, I deeply connected with Cleo, and some devastating scenes nearly brought me to tears.
I was lucky enough to be able to see this in the theater, and the surround sound really enhanced the experience, especially during that climactic action sequence I was talking about up there. I still don't know how that thing was filmed. There were a few moments I could have sworn that somebody was having a loud conversation just outside the theater doors or playing with their snacks a little too vigorously behind me. The sound really helped make this a more immersive experience.
I don't have anything else to say about this movie which I assume is going to be my favorite of 2018.
4 comments:
Law suit averted...I have to reiterate a few things that you already mentioned:
1) The camera work was masterfully done -- and without flash or being superfluous.
2) The symbolism and use of objects/situations to add depth to the story was perfect. Some was on-the-nose and I picked up on it and it added to the movie immediately. Other things were more subdued and it didn't dawn on me until after reflecting on the movie. I love stuff like that. That's a great way to measure the worth of a movie: If it sticks with you like that...
3) The leading actress was the equivalent to a silent film goddess. She was just so interesting to look at.
You didn't really talk about this director's use of women in his other movies and how this adds to his anthology. He is so good at telling the story of a woman. In this movie, he was able to show the plight of women in different social classes. Brilliant.
Like the movie, I want to book end this post and end how I begun. By saying that I had a great interpretation that you, in deed, did give me credit for.
Oh, wait, now am I stealing from the movie, and will he sue me now?
I doubt it. Nobody reads this shit.
I didn't write about Cuaron's use of women throughout his filmography because that seems really academic and this blog is strictly for nonsense. I'd have to see 'Mama' again and think of the others in that context.
Cleo did spend a lot of the movie silent, probably part of the point.
You are certainly not alone in loving this film. It seems to be a critical darling sure to be in top awards contention. There are many things to like about this slice-of-life depiction. Josh points out maybe the most interesting aspect, which is how women in different social classes and with different problems can have their lives turned upside down by their relationships with bad men. The fact that by sticking together, the women help see each other through their troubles was a powerful message. I loved that even the grandmother was deeply involved during the crib/ labor portion. I do, however, feel like Cuaron was VERY obviously manipulative in pushing the characters repeatedly to the edge of disaster without going so far that it might affect the ultimate happy ending (yeah, I know about the infant, but she had a good cry and got over it). The beach scene was the best example of this. It was incredibly obvious what was going to happen, and as a parent, the choices of the adults made me very angry. The obvious and appropriate resolution would have made the film incredibly depressing, but Cuaron used the situation as a contrivance to elevate the status of the maid, though she was one of the two adult idiots who created the dilemma in the first place. When screaming and running were required, we instead got a slow, concerned walk to the crisis. The way Cuaron works his way through the film felt a bit Spielbergian, only from the perspective of a director who didn't come from the American suburbs.
The cinematography was beautiful, but again, there was a feeling of manipulation. Maybe the goal was simplicity and a timeless aspect, or an homage to classic cinema, but the black and white kind of felt like a distraction where the goal was creating awards-worthy "art". The same could be said of the tracking shots, which are amazingly effective to start, but then become really repetitive and predictable. Slow side to side, people.
The acting was great, and though it takes its sweet time getting there, the last 30 minutes (annoying beach plot excluded) was extraordinary. The scene with the protest and the shop was perfect. There are also little bits that added to the experience such as the beautiful sets, the ongoing car troubles, and the dog-poop issues. There might be a poop metaphor to be found, but I'm too tired to work that angle.
As a cinephile, I appreciate how good "Roma" is and is trying to be, but I'm not ready to bestow the classic label it is shooting for. A 15.
All great art is manipulative, sometimes even obviously.
I don't think Josh liked the black and white either unless he changed his mind. I really thought it provided clarity. Color in this world would have been too distracting. I thought the black and white made it more of a fantasy with that opening shot of the water and shimmering sky reflection almost being a doorway into that fantasy. The entire movie is memory as fantasy.
Your "Cuaron is just trying to win awards" is awfully cynical!
I didn't think the disasters had much to do with the characters. There was a fire, an earthquake, and a violent protest, but those are as much in the background as that guy being shot out of the cannon. They're tragedies that are larger but still on the fringes of the personal narrative of our protagonist. They're other things that happen around a story that somebody else might be interested in telling, but Cuaron has other interests in mind.
RE: the beach scene...I'm not sure how the characters are supposed to be acting there. I wouldn't let my own children out of my sight in that situation or let them venture off into the violent waves by themselves. The "slow, concerned walk" you mentioned? I'm not sure she definitely knows the children are in danger there. Also--panic in a situation like that never helps anything. Also--I wonder if there's a parallel with her own experience as a mother there. The whole thing does lead her to that confession. You say that whole scene is a "contrivance to elevate the status" of that character, but if that were the case, wouldn't he just end the scene with them huddled together on the beach and her being a hero?
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