-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Roma is now out on Netflix
- Thread starter Flow
- Start date
Of course the film is sublime. The story is touching and only occasionally theatrical, and the self-named backdrop is rendered with the same slavish attention to detail as everything Cuaron does, space station or Hogwarts or near-future dystopia. The mundane becomes magical.
I do feel like a proper DP would've done the movie some good. Cuaron's cinematography is so restrained as to reduce the camera to three modes: the long pan, the long tracking shot, and the long still-shot. He's a perfectionist and he packs every frame with overwhelming detail, but the simplicity of the camerawork borders on distracting. Cuaron is flexing. Of course he makes it work -- but someone like Lubezki can erase the artifice from your awareness. A naturalist touch might've taken the film from great to perfect. I see no other flaws.
I do feel like a proper DP would've done the movie some good. Cuaron's cinematography is so restrained as to reduce the camera to three modes: the long pan, the long tracking shot, and the long still-shot. He's a perfectionist and he packs every frame with overwhelming detail, but the simplicity of the camerawork borders on distracting. Cuaron is flexing. Of course he makes it work -- but someone like Lubezki can erase the artifice from your awareness. A naturalist touch might've taken the film from great to perfect. I see no other flaws.
I thought I read Netflix has underwhelming 4K? Is this not true?
I've been fine with my TV I've had for years now and haven't really been interested in 4K. Something like this could push me over though. I get Netflix for free with T-Mobile so it'd only be $3/month.
I think, as subpar as it may be to whatever bitrate 4K via a disk is pushing, its still much better than HD resolutions when compared against streaming quality. You can see strands of hair. The very fine texture of things. And its heightened oh so much more due to being in black and white.
I personally consider Roma a reference film. Its that good for me.
I love Cuarón but this bored me out of my mind. Didn't find it engaging at all. Well shot with some good performances though.
I agree with this. The movie really needed someone like Lubezki to give it more life. Get some natural light handhelds in there instead of constant still shots and pans.
I agree with this. The movie really needed someone like Lubezki to give it more life. Get some natural light handhelds in there instead of constant still shots and pans.
If you're not a fan of very slow shots and slow progression, then you might fall asleep like some people ITT.
Technically impressive, especially the sound work. But I wasn't all that impressed with the story telling. I guess these days I'm more interested in Dardenne brothers style drama telling.
Top 10 movie for the year but not top 5. I think my expectations were set really high so I probably need to watch it again at some point, without any bias.
Top 10 movie for the year but not top 5. I think my expectations were set really high so I probably need to watch it again at some point, without any bias.
Last edited:
Put another way, Roma refuses to accommodate the audience or even the basic craft of storytelling very much, deciding that showcasing its own style was more important. "I should totally linger on this shot for an extra 40 seconds even though there is nothing happening because I nailed the cinematography and monochrome HDR 4K footage looks pretty" is honestly a thought I can imagine the director having during the editing process.
It's not in the top 10 anything for me, sorry. It is however a great film to calibrate your TV to; if your sharpness and contrast is on point and you're judderless and running in 4K HDR the effect is surely maximal.
Last edited:
Sure, studied it in film and I presumed pretty early on that was the source of the punny title of the film, which is also Amor backwards. However, there is a LOT more to chew on in, say, Germany Year Zero than something like this, which was mostly tracking and long-pan shots of very boring scenes. And I also wouldn't say Germany Year Zero was shoving its style down the audience's throat in quite the same way; the lingering had a lot more heaviness to it and I wasn't thinking "why are we watching this?"
RESET ERAS
ROMA
BURRAS BURRAAAAS
GET.TO.THE.FUCKING.POINT.I.GOT.TRAILERS.2.WATCH
I joke but the meditative tone was appreciated. It keeps drawing you into a scene.
ROMA
BURRAS BURRAAAAS
GET.TO.THE.FUCKING.POINT.I.GOT.TRAILERS.2.WATCH
I joke but the meditative tone was appreciated. It keeps drawing you into a scene.
Beautiful film.
Oscar contention easily.
This is a film-makers' film, it will get a lot of support. There are so many little details of life in Mexico in here that are just perfect. So many little things they definitely took the time to understand and show. Things that add to authenticity of the atmosphere and setting, that are so well done.
Oscar contention easily.
This is a film-makers' film, it will get a lot of support. There are so many little details of life in Mexico in here that are just perfect. So many little things they definitely took the time to understand and show. Things that add to authenticity of the atmosphere and setting, that are so well done.
Some of these opinions are hilarious , I'm so glad I know whose film opinions not to take seriously
Saw it today in theatres. Amazing movie, every shot was incredible. It did an amazing job applying the worldbuilding techniques used in Children of Men to a real historical moment and time. Agree that the visuals were more impressive than the storytelling. I was with it all the way until the end, but the beach scene really let me down. It didn't do anything for me and felt unearned.
Wish we could have learned more about Cleo too. She's always strangely remote the entire movie.
Wish we could have learned more about Cleo too. She's always strangely remote the entire movie.
This take , " Subtitles are distracting ", " Y U Black and white?!", " emotionally unaffecting".
Just baffling to me, but opinions blah blah
A scene being heralded and lauded in pretty much every major, legitimate review as a soul-wrenching culmination of the entire film?
Where the lead finally overcomes the deluge of suffering and hardship
Life has been throwing at her all throughout the film ? Man these takes are on fire tonight
In what way does my post comparing this to classic Italian Neorealist films resemble complaints about subtitles and black and white photography? If you want, I can start pulling clips from the film I was talking about.
It's my opinion? I didn't think the scene did a great job of showing why do overcame it, it just sort of happened. I wouldn't consider this a hot take my dude.
Cleo snatched those kids from death in that harrowing scene threatening to carry us all out into the ocean. As everyones embracing each other they realize they all had eachother to which Cleo finally felt she was able to admit her internal strife and guilt. Was there supposed to be a Tarantino' esq round table discussing their feelings in extreme detail?
What an incredible film. I decided to watch it on Netflix because I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to catch it in the cinema and I kind of regret it, it's such a beautiful film. Crazy that the two best looking films I've seen this year, Roma and Cold War, were both shot in black and white.
That said, visuals aside (though they are a major part of why this movie is a masterpiece), this was simply one of the most humane films I have ever watched. It's just so down-to-earth and honest, it's really hard to give it justice. It's moving at a slow pace, but each scene is just filled with emotions. The second half of the movie kept me in a state of being overwhelmed with emotions the entire time. Obviously the high points being hospital and beach scenes, which were harrowing, but beautiful. I legitimately cried at the end, the climax is so damn powerful.
The decision to make basically a supporting character a protagonist was brilliant too. I don't even mean it in regard to historical scenes, like the Corpus Cristi massacre, but it was tantalizing how we followed Cleo and early on we only saw a glimpse of parents arguing in one of the rooms, or how the party at the hacienda played out as a background to Cleo's problems.
Regardless of whether it ends up being the best film of the year for me (I haven't seen most of award contenders yet), it's a masterpiece in it's own right. Rarely does such a rich, yet simple film succeed in so many aspects.
That said, I'm surprised it's being pushed so heavily by Netflix, even making it a splash background on user selection screen. I love that a film like that will get an increased exposure in the mainstream, but I can't imagine it sitting well with a lot of the audience.
That said, visuals aside (though they are a major part of why this movie is a masterpiece), this was simply one of the most humane films I have ever watched. It's just so down-to-earth and honest, it's really hard to give it justice. It's moving at a slow pace, but each scene is just filled with emotions. The second half of the movie kept me in a state of being overwhelmed with emotions the entire time. Obviously the high points being hospital and beach scenes, which were harrowing, but beautiful. I legitimately cried at the end, the climax is so damn powerful.
The decision to make basically a supporting character a protagonist was brilliant too. I don't even mean it in regard to historical scenes, like the Corpus Cristi massacre, but it was tantalizing how we followed Cleo and early on we only saw a glimpse of parents arguing in one of the rooms, or how the party at the hacienda played out as a background to Cleo's problems.
Regardless of whether it ends up being the best film of the year for me (I haven't seen most of award contenders yet), it's a masterpiece in it's own right. Rarely does such a rich, yet simple film succeed in so many aspects.
That said, I'm surprised it's being pushed so heavily by Netflix, even making it a splash background on user selection screen. I love that a film like that will get an increased exposure in the mainstream, but I can't imagine it sitting well with a lot of the audience.
I love how the film clearly shows the branching off of that main thread in the family drama as it follows Cleo. I even think it goes as far to satirize how over dramatic it is. One case being when the father leaves in his car and is played off, out of the scene, by the street marching band.
Really? Trailer sold me on it. Considering I had every intention of watching an action movie last night and that trailer just drew me in I found it very enjoyable (as well as the film)
What a gorgeous film. The Atmos track was great on it too. Probably vaulted into my top 5 for the year. Cuaron is just such a joy to experience.
The film is called Roma because that is the name of the district of town where it is set.
As I stated earlier, this was also my chief issue with the film. The protagonist we are presented experiences a number of hardships, as well as moments of felicity. Yet, despite these recurring opportunities for insight, the character remains strangely inert for nearly the duration. Other than a noted sequence near the end, it's difficult to guess at Cleo's internal life, beyond the most generically-implied emotions. What are Cleo's hopes? Dreams? Fears? Formative traumas? Intellectual concerns? Political convictions? What is her personal relationship to God like? Etc.. As it is, she's your quintessential cipher that the audience can shade-in as they see fit.
Tellingly, in the end, it is the white family she serves who is allowed to vocally-define who Cleo is.
Bear in mind, this assessment comes from someone whom was initially tremendously hyped for the film, based on the trailers and early buzz.
It seems a few filmgoers were looking for some hysteria and emotional acting from the lead when in fact people are not always like this and this portrayal is an accurate representation of those who limit their display of emotions and have a laissez fair attitude . These types of folks exist because I have been with many Myself. The attitude the few are expecting are the typical Oscar bait acting which doesn't exist here
This was a brilliant story of a small part of the life of a woman and a family . It doesn't dwelve into their ideals or opinions or philosophies of life, it lands you in the middle and exits you when this part of the story is over.
This was a brilliant story of a small part of the life of a woman and a family . It doesn't dwelve into their ideals or opinions or philosophies of life, it lands you in the middle and exits you when this part of the story is over.
Sure, that's the concept behind the scene, but I thought since the whole film was so remote and removed, barely ever giving us an up-close glimpse of Cleo's emotional state, that that scene didn't really work.
I mean, on a technical level, that scene is amazing. Loved the sound design, the waves crashing getting louder and louder. Super cool.
This was my favorite moment in the movie.
The hard cut from the previous scene was excellent comedy.
NO INTROSPECTION. FEED MY EYEBALLS.
The scene immediately preceding this one was actually one of my minor quibbles with the movie, re:
This was my favorite moment in the movie.
the timing of the mother's revelation to the kids about their absent father. For me personally, it doesn't ring true that she would choose that moment of all moments--a noisy public place at a beach resort--to drop this devastating news on her chicks. Way to ruin their time on vacation! (IMO, it would've made a lot more emotional sense to share this info, for instance, in the car on the way back home.)
As it is, it seems a lapse of credulity--perhaps intentionally so, in order to set up
the would-be catharsis of the rescue scene.
Yeah, I definitely had this problem too. The movie seemed to know how to define the family as characters more than Cleo (which makes sense as it's autobiographical). I felt like the scene at the beach didn't have the impact it needed when Cleo said
she had never wanted the child
because thay information wasn't really conveyed anywhere else in the movie. It felt like a revelation rather than a culmination of her character arc.
hang on you saying fuckin Fermin was a apart of a - "group of elite Mexican army soldiers known as Los Halcones"
training out in the middle of nowhere with his stick was prepping him to be an elite Mexican soldier?!
They were paramilitary; I'm not sure "elite" is the right word, but from what I've read, they were funded and trained by the CIA and Mexican government.
Primary puprose seemed to be brainwashing and obedience. Practical modern soldier training wasn't the main purpose.
Any other year, but this year we have stellar debut by Bradley Cooper that is going to take best pic and best actress Oscars. Maybe they'll give Roma best director.