ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Alfonso Cuar?n

Roma – A Loving Memory of Life

In a taped message before the screening of Roma at AFIFest, director Alfonso Cuar?n noted that it was based on memories from his childhood in Mexico City in 1971, and called it ?a love letter to the women who raised me.? This is a very personal film for Cuar?n. Here, we sense, he is revealing a part of his very soul.

The film is set in a middle-class family. The father, a doctor, abandons the family not far into the film. The mother continues to tell the children he is doing research in Canada. The central character of the film is not exactly part of the family, but the maid, Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio). It is Cleo that we follow through her daily routine, her growing romance, and the tragedies that befall her.

Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo, Marco Graf as Pepe, and Daniela Demesa as Sofi in Roma, written and directed by Alfonso Cuar?n.
Image by Alfonso Cuar?n.

Because it is based on childhood memories, this film is really not so much about plot (although there is an overarching storyline) as it is about showing us Cleo?s life?a life much different than the privileged people in the family. No doubt, it is only as an adult that Cuar?n has fully recognized the distinction between his family and their servant.

There are scenes that are full of humor. The father?s prize possession is the big family car. It barely fits into the home?s courtyard (which is constantly filled with dog feces). We watch his careful routine for getting the car in and out. That car, in time, will become the surrogate for the mother?s ire at her absent husband.

There are also tragic scenes. One scene, dealing with the birth of a stillborn child is especially heartbreaking, not just in the subject matter, but in the way Cuar?n has filmed it, with both a sense of detachment and of pathos. Still other scenes provide a high level of suspense.

The mood of the film is enhanced by the astonishing black and white cinematography. (Cuar?n served as cinematographer for the film.) I?m pleased that I was able to see this film on a big screen. I have no doubt that the story will be just as powerful when it plays on Netflix in a few weeks, but the beauty of the film is best appreciated in a theater so the emotional force can engulf the viewer.

(L to R) Marco Graf as Pepe, Daniela Demesa as Sofi, Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo, Marina De Tavira as Sofia, Diego Cortina Autrey as To?o, Carlos Peralta Jacobson as Paco in Roma, written and directed by Alfonso Cuar?n.
Photo by Carlos Somonte

The film carries a child?s conception of the world that does not yet know about class distinction. As viewers we know there is a lot of difference between Cleo and the family members, but for a child, she would just be someone who was always there and always loved. She is even willing to risk her own life to save the children in her care. But even so, we know that in the end, she will always have an inferior place within the family and in society at large. Perhaps this film serves as a bit of penance for Cuar?n as he considers the extent to which society treats people like Cleo as something less than the valuable persons they are.

Roma is Mexico?s official entry for Oscar consideration as Best Foreign Language Film. After playing in select theaters, it will stream on Netflix.

Photos courtesy of Netflix

Saturday at AFIFest 2018

For me, Saturday at AFIFest Presented by Audi was a day of globetrotting. Films often bring the world to us in many different ways. We see other countries through the eyes of filmmakers who wish to share their cultures?both with love and with a critical eye. They introduce us to people we might never meet, but we get a chance to know and appreciate.

Iran is a country much in our national news with talks of nuclear programs and sanctions. But that is not what filmmaker Jafar Panahi is interested in. In 3 Faces, well-known actress Behnaz Jafari (herself) gets a phone-made video from a young woman who may or may not have committed suicide because her family won?t let her study acting. Jafari sets off with a director friend (Panahi) to go to the remote mountain village to discover the truth. The trip brings us in contact with many people who have nothing to do with the issues that fill the news. The film focuses on the customs of the people and especially on how that affects women in that society. It is of note that Panahi has been arrested, sentenced to jail (now a loose house arrest), forbidden to leave the country, and banned from making films for 20 years. Obviously, he is still doing so. 3 Faces is scheduled to be released here in the spring.

For a lighter story, Sweden provides Amatuers. When a German low-price superstore considers placing a store in the small town of Lafors, the cash-strapped city council ask students to make a promotional film about the town. On seeing the results, they find a real filmmaker to come and take over. But two of the students keep at it to create something that shows the true character of the town. This is a story about allowing those who are overlooked to be seen and heard. The film shows the broad range of diversity that makes up the society. It also shows the personal level of what it is like to be part of a society, but not quite really be a part.

Mexican director Alfonso Cuar?n has made a very personal film in Roma. In a taped message before the screening, Cuar?n noted that it was based on memories from his childhood in Mexico City in 1971, and called it ?a love letter to the woman who raised me.? The film is not so much about plot as it is a character study of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) a maid in the home of a doctor?s family. She is both part of the family, but also her place is nearly always that of a servant. The film is vignettes of her life with the family?the tragedies, and the joys. The film is a visual treat with astounding black and white cinematography. But its real power is the emotional strength of some of the scenes. Roma is Mexico?s official entry for Oscar consideration. It opens in select theaters on November 21, and will be available on Netflix in mid-December.