‘Roma’ – revisiting the story of one’s childhood
The film that has been most buzzing about lately is Roma by the Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón. Last month the film was released in a limited number of theatres and last Friday it was released on Netflix. Many reviewers maintain that it is the kind of film that should be seen in the theatre. But the advantage of Netflix is that the film is accessible for the many at the same time.
Roma is an impressive film. Shot in black and white, it has an incredible eye for detail. It is not very occupied with driving a story onward. The first half hour nothing really happens, but you are invited to settle and float along in the realities of a high-class Mexican family in the neighborhood Roma of Mexico City, their way of living, their relationships and their social setting. The family has a domestic help, a maid, and it is through her work and life experiences we become a part of this scene.
Roma is a deeply personal film based on the childhood of the director. Cuarón’s childhood nanny obviously played a profound role in his life. It is through her prism he looks at the bubble he now is aware of that he grew up in and through her prism he relives the painful trauma of the family falling apart and the absence of a father. The maid, Cleo, although coming from a very different class, born and grown up in poverty, gently and carefully fits into their world which is almost completely closed off from the realities of class, poverty and social unrest.
Roma is a contemplative film. The opening scene sets the tone. Water is poured on a stone-paved driveway. We see a few reflections of the outside world, but these reflections get broken by new pourings of water. Memories of the flow of life. Memories of dirt needed to be cleaned. Memories of strong characters in situations and relationships gone wrong. Impressions of a changing world that threatens to harm or burst the bubble the children grew up in. Gentleness, empathy and selflessness are the core values Cleo represents and the film invites us to meditate on those qualities.
So, please take the chance to see the film! Roma invites us to revisit the story of our own childhood and to see the cracks in that story, as well as the people and the attitudes that have been redemptive to us on our journey to adulthood. To do that together with a few others would be a genuine Nexus experience!
(Further post on Roma Jan 2019)
Rinus, Dec 2018
*Image posted for non commercial purposes under 'fair use' of copyright material in recommendation of the film
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Our family is planning to watch the film together this week. Thanks for your exhortation! JKG
Eagerly looking forward to your family’s experience of this film!
I loved the way “Roma” opens with the water. I also appreciate Rinus’ comments on memory and the inward journey that the film asks me to make. On a secondary plane, Cuarón also explores the disparity between classes and the unjust social pressures in the Mexican society of his childhood. By briefly depicting the historically based student protests and the brutal state crackdown by para-military forces, Cuarón unmistakably comments on the destructive institutions working against the lower classes. Cleo’s “boyfriend” demonstrates the degree to which the oppression falls as he disparages her and turns against his own class. In Cleo´s relationship with the family, class distinction and defined roles overtly exist, but at the same time, deep love and care are also expressed and demonstrated. The beach scene is remarkable. The film weaves a beautiful story with smatterings of social commentary creating a tapestry that invites reflection on a variety of levels. Cuarón does not resolve the contradiction between the harshness of class distinctions mingling with the warmth of caring relations under the same roof, but when Cleo climbs the stairs to carry on her duties at the end of the film, one is left to ponder such stark questions.