By Pamela Pollack-Fremd
SAN DIEGO — Roma, a Spanish language film, was written and directed by Oscar winning, Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron. It is an engaging and powerful story set in Mexico City from 1970 to 1971. Mexico was in a state of crisis. The president, Luis Echeverria Alvarez, had been the interior secretary in charge of police and internal security in 1968 when the Tlatelolco Square Massacre occurred. It is estimated that 300 students and activists were surrounded and murdered by the police and army. The citizens of Mexico City were traumatized as political and economic turmoil continued throughout Echeverria’s six year term as president. Chaos is on display.
This is the background atmosphere in the movie. This semi-autobiographical story really centers on the life of a family that lives in the neighborhood, Colonia Roma, in Mexico City. It is a sad story of infidelity and abandonment. However, it is also an inspiring story of survival, female solidarity, and the enduring human spirit. It is told from the perspective of both the haves and the have-nots in Mexican society. They live in close proximity to each other, and could probably not survive without each other.
The two female leads, Yaltiza Aparicio as Cleo the maid, and Marina de Tavira as the lady of the house, both give strong believable performances. I want to see them again in other movies!
The film is in black and white, which was a very good choice. It conveys the past, the oppression, and the murky atmosphere in the movie. The movie is long, a little over two hours, but well worth watching.
I think people will have different reactions to this movie. For example, my sister, who grew up in Mexico City, loved the movie and found it to be exquisite in both the beauty and the pain. However, I cannot describe the movie as enjoyable, but I am very happy that I saw it. The movie is in Spanish, with some Mixteco mixed in when the two women from Oaxaca speak to each other. It has English subtitles.
Roma is currently playing at the Digital Gym, 2921 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego.
*
Pollack-Fremd, based in Spokane, Washington, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the movies.
‘Roma’ has some of the most exquisite black and white photography you will ever see. The have and have not women in this movie have entirely different backgrounds, but they experience being a woman in ultimately the same way, and a deep bond grows between them based on this.