“Roma” brings new light in film industry for Hispanics

Mary Fletcher, Current Sauce Reporter • October 11, 2023

“Roma” tells the story of Cleo, an Indigenous Mexican woman working as a domestic worker in 1970s Mexico.

Telling Hispanic stories and providing accurate representation for the Hispanic community in the media we consume has historically been a somewhat complicated task.

That is why Alfonso Cuarón set out to tell the story of an Indigenous Mexican domestic worker in his 2018 film “Roma,” which was exclusively released on Netflix.

“Roma” tells the story of Cleo, an Indigenous Mexican woman working as a domestic worker in 1970s Mexico. The film is unique in that the dialogue is not only performed in Spanish, but in an indigenous language called Mixteca.

Mixteca is the language of the Mixtec tribe, which is the third-largest Indigenous people group in Mexico. I found the choice to make the film entirely in Spanish and Mixtec interesting because Cuarón is making a deliberate choice not to sacrifice authenticity at the altar of palatability. However, subtitles were provided for the benefit of those who do not speak either language.

According to an article in the New Yorker, Cuarón based the character of Cleo (played by Yalitza Aparicio) on a real-life domestic worker from his childhood named Libo Rodríguez. Parts of the story in the film are borrowed quite liberally from Cuaron’s childhood and the stories that Rodríguez would tell.

I also found the visual storytelling and the choice to have the film be in black and white to be interesting. Exclusively using homegrown Mexican talent as opposed to relying on “star power” when casting the film also helped to lend a certain amount of realism to the story.

I feel that “Roma” is an excellent film and that it tells the story of 1970s Mexico (which was undergoing political turmoil at the time) with authenticity and care. Have your tissues ready, because it will certainly be very emotional.

“Roma” has also won multiple awards, including Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards and the Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival.

If you are looking to watch a film that tells Hispanic stories with boldness, authenticity and care; I highly recommend “Roma.” The film is available on Netflix.