First, the admission - I would have never seen this movie if good friends didn't insist I have to check it out. Somehow it has slipped my attention but luckily it was recommended and after I checked reviews & how critics praise it, I became really enthusiastic and went to see it yesterday.
The reason why the movie is so enormously successful lies in my opinion in its originality - although its a tribute to old black & white classics from times of Fellini and such, its unlike anything else you have seen before. In fact, you can maybe recognise the influence of director's European predecessors but everything is brilliantly original and awesomely choreographed (particularly mass scenes). "Roma" is a nostalgic, loving glance back (I am sure its autobiographical) at year in a life of typical big city family where the kids are playing around big house, dog is jumping at the door and all kinds of everyday things are happening. The reason why I am convinced its autobiographical movie is because director Alfonso Cuarón wrote the script and filled the screen with all kinds of loving little details which feel like recreation of the real thing. Initially, movie starts very slowly - I have actually fell asleep (as I usually do when coming into a warm cinema from outside) because it seemed that scene after scene we just see servant (wonderful Yalitza Aparicio) sweeping the floors and doing her housework chores forever, than gradually the story started to built up and flow like some beautiful big river, until it finally became genuinely gripping. I mean, two hours went like a blink of an eye!
Yalitza Aparicio is a servant from some small village, beautifully warm human being, nurturing and loving but also lonely girl in a big city - she is hard working from day to night and initially it seems that this family don't appreciate her but slowly we realise they do, its just that they have their own family drama going on so it takes some time until it became clear they treat her as a part of the family itself. Its very interesting to see how her character changes in front of our eyes, since at first she appears stoic and strong and motherly but somewhere along the way we realise she is just a young girl also at the mercy of the world. And that is why its wonderful to see that when she needs a help, her mistress Sofía helps her without any questions - "We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women are always alone."
One of particular charms of "Roma" is that it brims with sideline stories that initially seem to go nowhere but are actually wonderfully connected and stunning to watch - its all filmed in glorious black & white technique so it feels like 1940s film noir classic - be it family excursion into a country side, celebration of New Year, forest fire or Yalitza running trough the crowded streets of Mexico to catch these unruly kids (who always seems to run, fight and scream at each other) everything looks absolutely beautiful - along the way movie actually picks up the speed and at certain point we are genuinely into it (no matter slow start, it builds up fantastically), towards the end the whole cinema was at the edge of their seats and I could hear people sniffing left and right. I won't go into too much details here so not to spoil the movie for people who still need to see it but must admit that I was absolutely mesmerised with everything what was going on and loved the ending, which was feel good amongst tears. I really think this is director's own tribute to servant that once worked for his own family. And Yalitza is just wonderful - she is not professional actress and carries the whole movie on her shoulders, not sure what kind of roles can she play in the future since she has no acting training whatsoever and had come to audition apparently just tagging along with her sister - perhaps she will be forever stuck in same roles, like some kind of Mexican Hattie McDaniel but here she was simply unforgettable. Highly recommended!
By the way, "Roma" has ten Oscar nominations and I am really curious how will Academy of Motion Picture react to what is absolutely atypical piece of work - its not commercial or filled with special effects and lacks big money making star turns but its actually genuinely beautiful and moving piece of art, kind of rare exotic flower amongst pumped up trash, I would love that it gets wide recognition in the industry that normally don't care much for art.
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