ROMA Official Trailer (2018) Alfonso Cuarón, Netflix Movie

NorthStar

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NorthStar

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Yesterday was the premiere on Netflix ... 'Roma'. So I watched it in all comfort.

It starts super simple, with soap water spilled on a floor of tiles and reflecting a rectangle of the sky above right in the middle of the screen. This is the opening credits and @ one point we hear and see a jet plane reflecting on the water from few thousand feet above.

Then we slowly enter the house, part of the film, and the people living in that house, part of the film...the main people, the maid who washed that floor of tiles with soap water. We follow her through the entire film, we are with her, we feel with her, we breathe with her. She's a lovely soul, a beautiful human life.

I wrote few words earlier somewhere else, in French (here's the raw traduction) ...

"'Roma' is a masterpiece of cinema moving, from the very first frame to the last.
Everything is a labour of love, dedication, hard work, human interactions, life itself.


What makes it even more magic is its simplicity told in majestic grandiose human tragedy of everyday's life with the gift of witnessing it.

You can tell that behind the camera and direction is where all the essence transcends.
The smallest details, from washing clothes on the rooftop to a ground tremor become so integral that it's like being there back in the seventies with them and feeling the same as they felt.


Every little piece of sound from the rain of hail to the dogs barking in the background to the car's exhaust to the guns of riot to the tears of ocean waves to the jet planes flying above to the the small parade to the fire in the country to the kids playing...every sound is there all around you like in real life.
It is one one the best audio experiences ever put on film.


The camera moves with such grace that you are inside the movie 100%, and seeing everything, all that simple life's truly matters. It's relaxing enormously @ best emotionally stimulating with each vibe of onscreen movement.

I remember 'Children of Men', I saw a clip of 'Gravity' in white and black space, I saw a mind guru blindfolded having total control of his body.

'Roma' is an aroma of Mexican cinema craftsmanship of the highest caliber.
It scintillates with stars inside people, inside life.
It's the best film in a long time, I cried once, almost twice."

_____

I am not very good in English speaking and traduction. I'm much more @ ease in French.

Anyway the film is in Spanish with English subtitles but if I looked @ 5% total of the subtitles that's 5% too many. ...Meaning I didn't have to.

Overall, and for the film storyline, emotional value, richness, beauty of the black and white camera pellicule, camera moves fluidity, compositions of the actors and decors, awesome audio soundtrack (there is an AM transistor radio, a turntable, a sound system, an album playing a tune that most of you reading this will recognize and bring you back to memory lane), everything: 99

Last word: Movie emotional magic between 98 and 100...for all senses and sensibilities.
The cinematography is perfect, the period replication is perfect, the acting quasi perfect, the audio soundtrack is perfect, the black and white pictures perfect for this film almost perfect.
It is cinéma art from a master filmmaker and crew. Don't even miss it, for anything in the whole world.
 

NorthStar

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"The star in “Roma” is Yalitza Aparicio, has never acted before. Most of the story is set in Roma, a pleasant suburb of Mexico City, in 1970 and 1971, and the special effects are largely confined to dog mess.

Cuarón himself is the director of photography on the movie, which glories in its tranquil surveys of domestic space, with the camera panning round the living room, and in the tracking shots that usher us through the action—left to right, right to left, to and fro, along furrowed fields and crowded avenues, as if the filmmaker were trying to keep pace with his thoughts while they carry him into the past."
 
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NorthStar

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Alfonso Cuarón and Emmanuel Lubezki Chat About the Cinematography of 'Roma' | nofilmschool


 

kodomo

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I really enjoyed this movie! What a great example of cinema... I am also very surprised this being a netflix production.
 

Steve Williams

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We saw the film yesterday and I must agree with Bob that it is a must see. Just a simple story of life in the 70's which flows through the eyes of Cleo the maid who cares for the kids.

Cuaron was Director of Photography and I loved that the film was not only in black and white but that the cinematography was amongst the best I have ever seen

So also the sound editing was superb with sound coming from everywhere in my room

For someone who has never acted before Yalitza Aparicio, was terrific in her role. She is very believable


Many have lauded this film as Best Picture of the Year. We genuinely liked it but untilI see some of the other contenders I remain undecided if this for me was the Best Film of 2018. Having said that Cuaron demonstrates his artistic abilities as director as well as director of photography

The story for us was very slow moving as well as being somewhat simplistic yet we didn't look at our watches once. IMO this film excels in Black and white and the cinematography is simply breathtaking
 

jazdoc

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We saw this opening week at Cinerama. I was set up to love this, I admire Cuaron and think that "Children of Men" is one of the best movies of the past 20 years. Agree that the cinematography and sound were outstanding...this is cinema crack for Oscar voters. But we found the story uninspiring. I've seen several films this year that were better movies.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
We saw this opening week at Cinerama. I was set up to love this, I admire Cuaron and think that "Children of Men" is one of the best movies of the past 20 years. Agree that the cinematography and sound were outstanding...this is cinema crack for Oscar voters. But we found the story uninspiring. I've seen several films this year that were better movies.
totally my feelings exactly. The story was, well, meh and very slow going

Like you I was amazed by the cinematography and sound editing
 

NorthStar

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Well, it is slow moving because it is not Avengers: Infinity War. :)
What a relief! ...The camera moves smoothly like caramel butter.

I'm glad you mentioned the sound Steve; actually you are the only person besides I who did.
And I am around...
Yes indeed the sound design was meticulously integrated with superb surrounding and impacting elements. I noticed that right away from the opening with the soap water splashing the tiles and the jet plane reflecting. ...Then during other key moments; like the earthquake @ the hospital, the car squeezing between two trucks, the realistic sound of the pistols echoing across the lake, the fire, the broken window, the kids playing, the fanfare playing in the street, the hail falling, the footsteps, the waves crashing, the dogs barking behind us @ left and right, etc. ...Truly realistic in surrounding us from all around, quite a feat from such a simple film. But then, we are talking Alfonso Cuarón here, the same guy who directed Children of Men and Gravity.

Your son has an interest and talent in the art of moving pictures; I have a strong feeling that he too will appreciate Roma.

Happy Holidays to you and your lovely family Steve.
 
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NorthStar

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I should emphasize this; it is a very personal and intimate moment in the life of the director to honor the maid he grew up with. It is in that perspective that the film is magic, powerful, with contrast almost fifty years later that has not changed much.

I'm not a film expert but I think that Roma is going to gather few more awards along the way ...
I think it's an important film, very.

@ least technically most people seems to agree collectively.
Spiritually (emotionally) value wise (screenplay, story, acting, locales, synergy, synchronicity, etc.), for me personally, it is a grand achievement from the film director, of the highest caliber.

We all see from different angles, and that's what makes us all so unique, precious and humans.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
it is a very personal and intimate moment in the life of the director to honor the maid he grew up with

I read that as well

Here is some fact to support that it was somewhat autobiographical

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/roma-alfonso-cuaron-netflix-libo-rodriguez-1202988695/


For us there were just too many things that happened so quickly that we failed to understand the significance of including them in the movie

The first was the earthquake. OK. So what? Why was it even there

The second was the student uprising with guns being fired and lives taken. So what. The only reason that I thought it was there was because Fermin (the father of Cleo's baby) entered the store with his gang and with guns drawn. He recognized Cleo and one has to wonder if he thought about killing pregnant Cleo
 

NorthStar

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Growing up in a suburb of Mexico City in 1970-71 ... that's all, including the earthquake and the revolution/uprising. There is nothing more complicated.

Few years later my brother travelled in Central and South America, and he experienced some major revolt and very unique experiences. Then couple years later I too travelled in Central America, including Mexico City, ...I could easily write a book or two.

Anyway, I'm very happy to have seen Roma twice; it was refreshingly soothing.
...Perfect for the Christmas Holidays.

I'm looking forward to the Oscars.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Hi Bob

In no way am I denigrating the film as it certainly has its attributes as we have discussed. With all of the hype however that preceded the film I was hoping for something truly spectacular and I was underwhelmed as to the story line and the slow meandering of the story and the camera

In fact at the end as we watched the rolling credits, I thought that there was a problem as nothing was moving. In reality rather than rolling credits, these were static credits as each page was readable for 1-2 minutes
 

NorthStar

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I know that Steve; I'm simply having a film discussion with cinemaphiles, with people reading, posting.

Personally hype or not it doesn't affect my anticipation and impression of the film, of any film as a matter of fact.
I like that we all tell it like we saw it; that's how my film school started and developed @ high school when I decided to take the courses.

It's very cool to be ourselves and independent, to express our views.
We do with music, with voices, with looks, with books, with wine tasting, with films, with paintings, with all forms of arts.
 
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marty

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totally my feelings exactly. The story was, well, meh and very slow going

Like you I was amazed by the cinematography and sound editing

+1. Good movie but not a great one. Many moments of genuine beauty with many moments that just did not resonate fully for me. Some of the director's choices were incredible, such as the delivery room scene where the heads of the doctors are intentionally not shown. That was real art as were many scenes that were shot brilliantly as direct homage to film noir. Still, it was an enjoyable movie but with lots of moments of disconnect, at least for me. And for god's sake, why isn't anyone cleaning up that dog shit regularly? Nobody lives like that. That dog must have a tapeworm.

Then again I must be having a bad week. One of the highest, if not the highest rated movie on MRQE is "The Favorite" which I thought was just terrible. I was close to walking out several times. A real POS, at least for me. Even after I returned home to read the surprising reviews that generally ranged from very good to stellar, I still didn't get it and felt like I wasted 2 hours of my time that I can't get back. Great cast however. I'll give them that. Just not an enjoyable movie, unless you're a film critic who apparently understands the art of cinema that mere mortals like me sadly do not.

The common thread for both of these is that they are art films meant to inspire more than films designed to entertain. One is good, the other, not so much. But for their genre, they do not stand up to art house masterpieces like Cinema Paradiso or Babette's Feast IMHO.
 
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