Roma

My family has Netflix. But I haven't chilled. A lot of movies on Netflix also had adjacent theatrical runs. Some have earned Oscar nominations. But I still didn't chill. What made me chill?

Roma.

Roma is Alfonso Cuaron's long-awaited follow-up to his Oscar-winning smash Gravity. Cuaron directed, wrote, co-produced, cinematographed and co-edited with Adam Gough. Sounds like everything, but it's not. It's still impressive.

Anyway...

It's 1970-71. The titular Roma is the Colonia Roma neighborhood in Mexico City. Here, we find Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a housekeeper for Mrs. Sofia (Marina de Tavira) and her husband, Antonio (Fernando Grediaga). Cleo mainly tends to the family's four kids. They regard her as one of the family. Meanwhile, Antonio leaves for a "business trip" in Quebec.

Cleo's life is upended when she becomes pregnant. Her boyfriend, Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero), wants nothing to do with her. Things take a turn for the worst after Cleo witnesses the Corpus Christi Massacre. Her spirit is broken, but she's still devoted to her charges.

All of this is told in 135 minutes. But it keeps our attention. It helps that Cuaron's black-and-white cinematography employs as much long takes as his regular DP, Emmanuel Lubezki. Its landscape shots are spectacular. Single shots often end up as single scenes. They say a lot without cutting a lot. The best scene is where Cleo defies her lack of swimming to save two of the kids from drowning. That was a strong scene.

Cleo is a captivating main character. It's easy to not notice that she doesn't say much. Her face says much, though. She gets on the audience's side with her dedication and devotion to her charges. It's crushing to see her fall into depression. It's amazing to see her overcome it by saving the kids. It's a strong debut performance for Aparicio, and here's hoping for a good career.

The rest of the cast is good, too. Marina de Tavira as Sofia is a strong supportive character. She sticks with Cleo during her pregnancy and after. She tries to make the best of her crumbling marriage. She's only at her worst when she's under stress. A great employer. Veronica Garcia is also great as Sofia's mother, Teresa. Guerrero as Fermin, meanwhile, seems like a good guy. But once he violently rejects Cleo, he's firmly in the unlikable spectrum with no hope of redemption. There's a good cameo by Victor Resendez Ruiz (aka the Luchador Latin Lover) as real-life personality Professor Zovek.

Roma is a fascinating drama. It's a story of a woman dealing with a changing world. It's a story of a family sticking together in tough times. Its seemingly minimalist plot hits you emotionally by the end. It's easy to see why critics have gone over the moon for it. See it if you have Netflix or are lucky to live near one of the scant theaters playing it. It's worth viewing even once. Be careful it can get too emotional at times.