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This is a poetic movie. Although it doesn't have a poem line, the metaphors, which force you to think about the characters and their mindset, have added another dimension to the movie. Furthermore, every scene is artistic. The director of cinematography of the movie did a great job. You can pause at a random scene and what you get is some artistic photography.
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Just like I mentioned above, the movie was filled with metaphors. And I will try to examine them with my perspective.
The position of women in society has shown in many scenes. The scene where the mother's car was stuck between two vans when she was taking Cleo to the hospital indicates us the position of women in society. Society has determined the gender roles for them, and therefore women are trapped by society.
"We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women are always alone." Roma (2018) dir. Alfonso Cuarón
This is the line that impressed me the most while watching Roma. When I think about the male characters in the movie, the only common thread comes to my mind is their attitude toward women. The attitude of men toward women is the same: They are cruel. Either they insult women or cheat on them.
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| Roma (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018) |
Most of the times, women are abandoned without said anything to them. Cleo was abandoned in a theatre where she thought the man went to the bathroom. Sra. Sofía, on the other hand, was abandoned when she thought her husband was on a business trip. Moreover, she found out that she was cheated on. Women face the challenges alone.
• The doctor left his family without saying goodbye to his children. He packed his stuff when the family members are gone. He only took the bookshelves, but he left the books. This is a representation of the position of mother and father in a family. The father is the skeleton of the body. On the other hand, the mother is the soul.
• Fermín abandoned Cleo in a theatre by saying that he would use the bathroom. Even his way of breaking up with a woman shows us about his personality and mentality about women and relationships. He just wanted to disappear and get rid of her. He got angry when he found out that Cleo was carrying his child because he didn't want to take any responsibility. He insulted Cleo and called her a whore. Once again, Cleo was left alone.
• Just before the fire, we watch a scene where the man, who tried to get close to Sofía, became offensive toward her after he was rejected. The man's personality has changed within seconds once he understood he wouldn't get what he wants, and then he started to insult her.
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On the last scene, Cleo admitted loudly that she didn't want the baby. At that moment, I felt an empathy with her. There might be lots of reasons why she feels this way:
• She thought the baby would remind her of how she was left alone by a man who didn't care about her.
• Because of the pressure she will have to face due to the attitude of society. (I don't know the attitude of society towards a woman who has a child out of wedlock in Mexico in 1970. But I know that in Turkey, society doesn't like these kinds of women. They judge and gossip about them.)
• Because of the economic conditions of the country back then and difficulties of growing a baby.
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In conclusion, the struggle of the woman is the same in every country regardless of her nation, religion, and social class. Men leave. Women left behind and alone. They need to take of themselves. They need to be strong.
Fun Fact: Roma wins Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Golden Globe Awards!
Emel
Jan 2018