ROMA (2018) FILM ANALYSIS

  
ROMA (2018) By Alfonso Cuaron

The film Roma is a portrait of life in Mexico City in the early 1970s. Roma’s story is a simple one as it is inspired by Alfonso Cuaron’s childhood. The film has been captured from Cleo’s perspective. Cleo is a domestic worker who works for an upper-middle-class family in Roma. Cleo’s character is based on a domestic worker named “Liboria” who looked after Cuaron’s home and family and raised him as well.

Cleo was one of the two maids in the house who did most of the work, from doing the laundry to preparing meals, from taking care of the kids to washing dishes. It feels like Cleo is a part of the family because her contribution towards the family is more than just a worker but she is not being treated as a family member as we can clearly see in a scene where everyone including Cleo was engrossed in watching the show and Sofia orders her to clear the plates immediately even though Sofia knew that Cleo was also enjoying the show. This scene also shows us how attached the kids were to Cleo as one of the kids (Paco) while watching the show nestled up to her. 

One day Cleo’s life turned upside down when she found out that she was pregnant with her boyfriend’s baby. Cleo was abandoned by Fermin, her boyfriend, when she revealed that she was pregnant. Fermin had faced hard times in his childhood and he even knew what life without parents feels like, but despite knowing this feeling he didn't care about his baby or Cleo and threatened her instead that he will harm her if she ever comes to him again. Fermin always portrayed himself as a man who was very powerful, but when he dumped Cleo, we could see that he was just a coward who was running away from his responsibilities. 

Sofia and Cleo’s relationship is both filled with Sofia’s anger and affection. When Cleo revealed the news of her pregnancy to Sofia, she instantly took Cleo to the hospital for a checkup. This shows how much Sofia cared about Cleo but on the other hand when Sofia was agitated at her relationship with her husband, admonished Cleo for not cleaning up the dog feces off the driveway in their house. Here we see Sofia taking out her anger on Cleo. This shows us exactly how their relationship was. Both Sofia and Cleo were going through the same thing and could understand each other much better. In one scene Sofia even said “We women are always alone”, in solidarity with Cleo. Sofia’s character in the film was different from the others. She was a doting mother, a fawning wife, and an erratic boss. Anger and sorrow collided within her. This showed us how badly hurt she was but she never let this thing affect her kids. 

Cleo’s love for the kids is unparalleled. She cares about each one of them, she plays with them. She makes their meals, she does every single thing for all of them just like how a mother does for their child. Cleo treats all four of them as if they are her kids. In one of the scenes on the beach where Sofi and Paco were about to drown in the ocean, Cleo came and saved them even though she didn't know how to swim. She risked her life just to save the kids. This scene shows us how pure is the love between Cleo and the kids.

The film has beautifully captured how even after having so many difficulties in life, women still manage to take care of things and women are the ones who keep it all together.

 

Roma feels personal because it is all about everyday life and the chaos in it, we can relate to it because we have been through what Cleo is going through in some manner or the other. We have all been shown hope, given love, faced betrayals, and witnessed sorrows. 

Thank you!