Roma
2018
****
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Fernando Grediaga, Jorge Antonio Guerrero, Marco Graf, Daniela Demesa, Diego Cortina, Carlos Peralta, Nancy García, Verónica García
Alfonso Cuarón's semi-autobiographical black and white drama is set in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City in 1970-1971. Cleo is a live-in maid who works for a middle-class family with four children. While the country is going through great upheaval, Cleo finds herself pregnant and the mistress of the household must break the news to her children that their father is not coming back home. This beautifully shot film takes a while to get going, but it eventually amounts to a very moving depiction of two strong women. The male protagonists (or the men in entire Mexico), however, don't come off looking that good. Alfonso Cuarón won Oscars for directing, cinematography, and for best foreign language film.
