Since the end of the year was quickly approaching, I watched one of 2018's most acclaimed films -- Alfonso Cuaron's Roma. It's a modern black-and-white film centering on the life of a housekeeper to a well-off family in 1970s Mexico, and is pretty much Cuaron's message of love to his upbringing. The simplicity of the film plot-wise -- it's basically a string of vignettes in the life of an ordinary person -- is one of its biggest strengths. We see our protagonist, Cleo, through the ups and downs of taking care of a family but being denied the opportunity of starting one of her own by various circumstances, juxtaposed with scenes of daily life in Mexico City. Although her partner cuts off all ties with her and her baby is stillborn, she still finds meaning in life with the family she serves -- as if she was part of the family since birth. The cinematography was also very well-done; Cuaron mostly chose shots that emphasized atmosphere over character close-ups, to remind the viewers that these characters aren't really "protagonists" in a grand story, but rather ordinary people trying to make the most out of their lives. Admittedly, it took a while to understand the acclaim, since I'm used to the typical Hollywood formula of storytelling by now. But it's apparent that this film was made as a labor of love and not necessarily for box office money, and that itself makes it one of this year's standouts.
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