Roma
An exquisitely observed portrait of Cleo, a domestic worker whose private upheavals unfold amid a family's fragile transformation in 1970s Mexico City.
Overview
A poignant exploration of family, love, and resilience in a turbulent time.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- intimate
- observational
- quiet evening
- reflective weekend
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Roma as a universally acclaimed, deeply personal drama distinguished by Alfonso Cuarón's enthralling visual command and emotional portrait of ordinary life.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alfonso Cuarón draws on his childhood and reconstructs a year in 1970s Mexico City through Cleo and the family household.
Long scenes of cleaning, childcare, meals, errands, and household rituals make ordinary labor the film's visual and emotional foundation.
Cleo is essential to the family's emotional and practical life while remaining a domestic worker within a hierarchical household.
Antonio's abandonment, Cleo's pregnancy, and public violence destabilize the household's seemingly ordinary routines.
Films like Roma, and why
Amarcord
shares intimate autobiographical drama, black-and-white period setting, family relationships, and observational attention to ordinary domestic life
Fanny and Alexander
shares childhood-memory perspective, family drama, lyrical period detail, and emotionally layered domestic storytelling
The Florida Project
shares intimate working-class family drama, social inequality, restrained realism, and deeply empathetic female-centered storytelling
Ida
shares black-and-white cinematography, historical domestic realism, and a personal meditation on memory, class, and family upheaval
Movie Details
- Director
- Alfonso Cuarón
- Release Date
- 2018-11-21
- Runtime
- 135 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (4194)
Cast
- Yalitza Aparicio
- Marina de Tavira
- Diego Cortina Autrey
- Carlos Peralta
- Marco Graf
- Daniela Demesa
- Nancy García García
- Verónica García
- Fernando Grediaga
- Jorge Antonio Guerrero
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Roma about?
- An exquisitely observed portrait of Cleo, a domestic worker whose private upheavals unfold amid a family's fragile transformation in 1970s Mexico City.
- What is Roma like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Roma as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Roma violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Roma as moderate.
- What did critics think of Roma?
- Critics broadly regard Roma as a universally acclaimed, deeply personal drama distinguished by Alfonso Cuarón's enthralling visual command and emotional portrait of ordinary life.
- Which films are like Roma?
- Films with a similar feel include Amarcord, Fanny and Alexander, The Florida Project, and Ida.
- How long is Roma?
- Roma runs 135 minutes.
- Where can I watch Roma?
- In United States, Roma streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
