Mexican Dir. Alfonso Cuaron's ROMA is a Masterpiece - A Must See on the Big Screen

ROMA is a quiet yet turbulent film set in a city in Mexico 1970s.  It's subdued & without having a plot.  It's a voyeuristic look at the lives of a wealthy, white family & their Mexican housekeeper, care giver, Cleo (an inimitable debut performance by Yalitza Aparicio).  Aparcicio miraculously inhabits her role.  Every emotion registers with poised restraint or dogged tenderness & sorrow.  The film's tumultuous poignancy emanates from Aparicio's tour-de-force portrait of Cleo an indentured servant.  The brilliant director, cinematographer, writer & producer is Alfonso Cuaron (b Mexico 1961).  ROMA won the Golden Lion and the NY Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Picture ('18).  Cuaron's film "Gravity" ('13) starring Sandra Bullock earned him an Acad. Award as Best Director.  The black & white cinematography is so stunning the film could be viewed without sound or subtitles and still resonate magnificently.  Cuaron utilizes recurring leitmotifs.  Water, the sustenance of life, cleansing, purity and taker of life is pervasive throughout.  Other recurring motifs are dogs, airplanes and shit.  The household for whom Cleo works arduously without complaint consists of a father, mother, grandmother, 4 children & a dog.  The dog is never permitted inside the house or outside the gates and defecates tremendous turds that Cleo perpetually removes.  The film is laden with comparisons between Cleo and the family dog.  Although the children & the mother profess their love for Cleo it's   that of a beloved & coddled pet kept at bay, restrained at all times and confined to the whims of its master.  The family watches a movie together while Cleo is seated on the floor, her head being stroked.  The political unrest and social hierarchy is ubiquitous but it's the plight of Cleo's downtrodden life that is stirring.  When rushed to the hospital in labor, the grandmother is unable to provide any personal information regarding Cleo whose lived with them for years.  Sofi presses Cleo to come with her & the children on a vacation to the seaside.  This coerced invite is with expectations she'll heed to caring for the family.  Sofi leaves her youngest children under Cleo's watch as they frolic in the waves despite knowing Cleo doesn't swim.  When they're pulled out to sea Cleo does what a faithful dog would do. She goes in after them regardless for her own safety.  The word Roma means the most gorgeous girl inside & out; an amazing loyal friend.  This is synonymous with a dog.  Cleo devotes herself selflessly to this family & demonstrates super hero strength but she'll never be elevated onto the same plane as a family member.  She'll always be relegated to cleaning up other people's shit.  ROMA is often grueling but it's also defined as a beautiful flower that reveals its exquisite color to its surroundings and carries pure innocence.