First Take: Roma- a Netflix review on TheJackSmit.com?

SYNOPSIS: A year in the life of a middle-class family’s maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.

So as you’ll have heard me mention on last night’s Journal, Netflix is an avenue we’ll be exploring a lot more this year- especially as 70 million of you have watched Bird Box according to the company themselves… and they NEVER reveal viewing figures. That’s a big deal. And with Alfonso Cuaron’s latest work being distributed through that platform, naturally we had to start here- believe me, it has earned those Oscar nominations alright.

Cuaron wrote, directed and acted as the cinematographer on this film, and it feels like his most personal and profound film yet- taking inspiration from the experiences and problems he witnessed in his youth, he is able to create this depiction of 1970s Mexico that feels incredibly truthful, and even with the slow pace of the first hour, he is able to create a story that has a profound emotional payoff at the end of that 2 hour 15 minute running time. There’s moments that are genuinely heartfelt, moments that are shocking, and moments that work regardless of whether it’s a 4K Dolby Atmos screen (where Cuaron has said is the best way to experience the film), or even a living room. Don’t let the subtitles bother you, as even the difference in language is played in to the emotional values on offer here.

That does bring me neatly into the performance side of things- and this cast do not fail to impress. Yalitza Aparicio, in her very first film role, is an absolute revelation- the fact that she was a teacher before taking the lead of Cleo gives you an idea of the sort of realism Cuaron was going for while making this film. Providing the support is a cast that includes Marina de Tavira, Fernando Grediaga, Jorge Antonio Guerrero and many others, but it is clear from the minute the film kicks off that everyone involved is dedicated to telling a story that Cuaron has been wanting to tell for a big part of his career, and it feels like a logical return to his roots after creating the visceral experience that was 2013′s Gravity. 

THE VERDICT

Roma is an incredibly powerful film which works so well both in and out of a cinema- and the fact that Netflix have picked the film up is a blessing, as more people can actually see one of the Three Amigos of Mexican Cinema (Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Inarritu) put in his bid for Oscar glory.

RATING: 4.5/5

Roma is available to stream on Netflix now.