Roma Review — It’s an extraordinary, once in a lifetime, profound and world expanding film. But it’s not for everyone.

If you’re of the right mindset, Oscar-winning writer/director Alfonso Cuarón’s breathtakingly poignant and personal Roma will move you to the core, a little like standing before an original Frida Kahlo painting for the first time.

But if you’re looking for a popcorn blockbuster jam packed with action, dazzling special effects and dizzying twists and turns, you’ll likely fall asleep.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with entertainment that provides pure escapism and diversion. I love a good superhero flick (especially if it features Chris Hemsworth). I also love to read a good, juicy chick lit novel every now and then. But at times I yearn for fine literature that moves me on a profound level, and makes me feel like a better person for having read it. It’s like that with Roma.

The story based on Cuarón’s upper middle-class childhood in a Mexico City neighborhood known as Roma, is told in Spanish, so many of you will need to read subtitles. It’s also completely done in black and white, as our memories and our dreams often are.

I’m aware of the fact that much of my fascination with the film comes from familiarity. I lived in a Mexico City neighborhood much like Roma in the 1970’s, when the story takes place. I stayed in a multi-level city home much like the one in the film, with a similar family; the father had disappeared, leaving the wife, children and grandmother to fend for themselves. An indigenous and fiercely loyal housekeeper was the domestic heart of the home.

Both simple and complex joy and pain punctuate the family members’ lives, and the authentic sincerity of it all is exquisite. If you’re up for an  exquisite experience, Roma will surely provide it.

If that’s not your particular cup of tea at the moment, there’s a plethora of fine films available to divert you.

Rated R

2 Hours 15 Minutes

If this Roma review convinces you that it IS your cup of tea, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Roma Review — It’s an extraordinary, once in a lifetime, profound and world expanding film. But it’s not for everyone.