CENTERPIECE

Cuarón (Gravity, Children of Men) returns to his homeland in marvelous style with his first Mexican film since his breakout Y tu mamá también (MVFF 2001). Set in 1970, Roma centers on Cleo (a wonderful Yalitza Aparicio), the indigenous housekeeper to a large Mexico City family. With remarkable attention to detail, Cuarón lovingly captures the energy and textures of his youth, from the movie palaces and slums to the affluent rancheros and crowded hospitals. As Cleo faces her own personal crisis, we also see a country beset with natural disasters and civil unrest. But through it all is the bonding she experiences with three generations of women she works for in a story where compassion, loyalty, and love can transcend differences in class and culture. It’s an emotional epic, filmed (by Cuarón himself) in beautiful black and white with hat tips to Renoir and Fellini. Intensely personal and profoundly moving, Roma is a stunner.