ANALYSIS OF THEMES IN THE FILM ‘ROMA’
The set-up of our society today is much shaped from traditional and historical beliefs that constituted a culture that we abide by without questioning the why and how. Globally, the acts of colonizers shaped much of the culture that we practice. However, scholars and artists have devoted themselves to providing a lens through which we understand our society. In the film Roma, a 2018 Alfonso Cuaron’s masterpiece, the main theme portrayed is the cultural theme as well as themes of race, empathy and humanity. The cultural theme is vivid in the film from the social status that is associated with the main character Cleo because of her place of origin as well to the gender and race that she belongs to. Cleo, as a nanny receives love and exploitation at the same time from the family that she works for. Through the film, we get to understand the prejudice against nannies in today’s world and people of such social class. Art such as film making makes the world realize and adjust to the culture that we have been practicing yet not knowing how oppressing it is and how inhuman it is despite living in a post-colonial era.
In the film Roma, Alfonso Cuaron; the director, clearly show what life was like for domestic workers in Mexico in the 1970-1971 era. The film tells of a culture that was present during that time. In today’s United States, a majority of domestic workers are women from Latin and Black American origin who are considered as poor because of their skin colour and historical prejudice against them (Filgueira, 250). Cleo, the main character of the film Roma, is a female rooting from one of the poorest regions of Mexico called Oaxaca and so is also her workmate Adela. Like many domestic workers of today, Cleo receives love and bonding with the children yet still is charged with the responsibility of devoting her whole to executing domestic chores of the family (Taylor, 8).
Gender plays a role in uniting people despite class. Notably, women have always been treated unequally in the eyes of men. The boss of Cleo, a doctor named Antonio leaves his wife Sofia for a mistress, an emotional turmoil that makes Sofia recognize the emotional battle that Cleo goes through resulting from her boyfriend Fermin. Sofia and Cleo embrace each other’s battles, however, in the midst of it all still, Cleo is demanded to execute her duties as the nanny of the household.
Racism as a theme is also vast in the film. Cuaron’s work shows how Mexican families recruit their domestic workers. Cleo’s origin is identified to be Indian and her skin tone differentiates her from ordinary Mexicans. The theme is emphasized with the black and white cinematography that Cuaron creates the movie with (Taylor, 5). In today’s world, families recruit domestic workers from certain races, a culture resulting from colonial set-up and picked up by liberated citizens yet there is no much difference in the human spectrum.
The major importance of art is to find the gap in society that normally would not be recognized. The film by Alfonso Cuaron provides the audience with the hard truth of our culture trademarked on inhuman trends rooting from racism and social status. The film has impacted the world by changing the mindset and treatment that employers have on domestic workers (Henry, 9). However, the film does not provide ultimate solutions but only captures the hearts of its viewers by portraying empathy through its main character Cleo. So, what must humans do to remedy the tainted social culture of prejudice? What must be done to achieve ultimate humanity and equality for all?
Works Cited
Filgueira, Fernando, and Juliana Martínez Franzoni. “Growth to limits of female labor participation in latin America’s unequal care regime.” Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society 26.2 (2019): 245-275.
Henry, J. “Roma: Another word for Amor.” Film Criticism 43.3 (2019).
Taylor, Charles. “FILM IN REVIEW.” The Yale Review 107.3 (2019): 188-194.