Cuaron’s “Roma” is a movie with many dimensions. The setting of the movie is Mexico in the 1970s. Firstly, Cuaron focusses on a family to portray the class differences that existed in Mexico during the 1970s. Sofia and her husband are relatively well-off but Cleo and Adela have to endure hard work to earn a living. Mexico had just hosted the 1970 FIFA World Cup as is evident with the display of some of the footballers’ images in one of the boys’ rooms (Bradshaw, 2018). Although Mexico appeared outwardly to be succeeding, it was actually bleeding inside as Cuarano shows through various characters and scenes.
Firstly, it appears Cuaron’s wanted to show how the Mexican households were slowly disintegrating despite seemingly appearing to be successful. Sofia and her husband have four boisterous children. At the beginning of the movie, their father enjoys watching a movie with them, but he is a heavy smoker. The children welcome their father but are unaware that he is probably frustrated or stressed. Sofia must have been a proud woman at least according to the setting of the movie, to be married to a doctor. Doctors were revered in those times because they earned more and lived a better life. The house is a manifestation of the wealth. However, it seems many households disintegrated despite displaying prosperity. People were working too hard to sustain the grandeur but having little time to rest. As portrayed by Sofia’s husband, families disintegrated, causing pain to some couples and children.
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Cleo as presented in the movie is a strong, and hardworking woman. She cleans the house, and prepares children to go to bed and school. She is even more dependable than her colleague, Adela. Through her character and the other characters she interacts with, it is evident that Mexicans in the 1970s could not build strong relationships. Fermin seems dependable when he meets Cleo for the first time, but again, he ends up disappointing Cleo. Perhaps it was in the 1970s when the Mexican society began to degenerate. At one point, Sofia tells Cleo that men can tell women everything but women ought to know that they are always on their own. It is even Fermin who causes the death of Cleo’s unborn child. Through Fermin’s character, it is clear that men were not ready to take up responsibilities of raising their children.
Cuaron’s movie is also a reminiscence of the Corpus Christi massacre, where approximately 120 people were shot dead by the military during a student demonstration (Bradshaw, 2018). Cleo, who was preparing for her newborn child by shopping for furniture gets entangled in the fracas. It is a shocking scene, where one of the students who tries to seek refuge in the furniture store is shot dead right infront of Cleo. Cleo is shocked and the situation triggers contractions in her womb. The child days because of the commotion on the road. The scene shows that although some Mexicans were committed to achieving success, some rogue military officers and criminal gangs pulled the society back.
In summary, Cuaron’s movie is a reminiscence of Mexico’s past. Mexico had hosted the 1970 FIFA World Cup and families were more successful and happy. However, the society began to disintegrate because some people failed to act their part. Firstly, the politicians’ poor policies triggered demonstrations and civil unrest, especially from students. Secondly, irresponsible men, such as Fermin and Antonio (Sophia’s husband) further caused disintegration of families. The Mexican society in the 1970s changed substantially and became one where people could not keep promises or be trusted. Therefore, the movie narrates that Mexicans were once prosperous but the degeneration began in the 1970s mainly due to poor leadership, and irresponsible citizens.
References
Bradshaw, P. (2018). Roma review – an epic of tear-jerking magnificence . The Guardian . Retrieved 5 February 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/29/roma-review-alfonso-cuaron
Roma. (2019). Netflix.com . Retrieved 5 February 2019, from https://www.netflix.com/watch/80240715?trackId=254015180&tctx=0%2C0%2C5b73d4e1-538a-45b3-b9fc-4950b2c83569-456822088%2Cedcef1db-bc7c-4770-abe4-0925c5ebd58d_9282722X20XX1549345867388%2Cedcef1db-bc7c-4770-abe4-0925c5ebd58d_ROOT
