The film begins with a 4-minute single take of opening credits, establishing the pacing and perspective the viewer is about to embark on. There, we see Cleo, an Indigenous domestic worker who works for a middle-class family of seven. Cleo suspects she is pregnant by her partner Fermín, and after confirming the pregnancy and revealing the news to Fermín, he abandons her. At the same time, Antonio, the family’s father, is having an affair, causing emotional and financial strain on the family.

Cleo, while physically present, feels invisible as she faces her own struggles. When she confronts Fermín, he physically threatens her and denies the child. As her due date nears, Sofia’s mother takes Cleo to buy a crib, but a violent student protest erupts into a massacre. Fermín briefly reappears before Cleo’s water breaks. Amid delayed traffic, Cleo is taken to a nearby hospital, where she delivers a stillborn baby.

The family visits a beach near Tuxpan, and Sofia reveals her separation from Antonio to the children. Two of the children nearly drown in the ocean but are saved by Cleo. They express their love for Cleo, and she admits she didn’t want her baby to be born.

As the audience, we are almost always present, whether that is through the slow circular pans, Cleo’s own eyes, or sometimes a busy and filled frame. The black-and-white imagery throughout the film is intentional as if we are experiencing Cuaron’s own memory. The seemingly long, lingering takes are risky and not something every filmmaker can pull off. It is a deliberate choice that allows us, as the audience, to experience the world in which the film is set in. 

Scenes such as the massacre during the climax of the film demonstrate the brilliant acting from each and everyone on screen, but the well-rehearsed blocking that has not but one cut to immerse us in the cruel reality that was taking place. It is a narrative that is a true reflection of Cuaron’s childhood upbringing and a painful one for Cleo, who never seems to catch a break. 

While “Roma” takes place in Mexico during the early 1970s, its struggles and reality are present in the Rio Grande Valley to this day. A disparity exists between wealthy urban families and domestic working-class workers who are often underpaid and invisible to the rest of the world. 

The lack of real opportunities or labor protections present in a large percentage of the population mirrors the situation faced by Cleo. Women face serious and real vulnerabilities, exploitations, and systematic inequalities in a predominantly patriarchal reality. A volatile political and social landscape is present with the ever-changing immigration policies, and many in the Valley are at risk. 

“Roma” is a film that shows us a past reality that is present in our current reality in the Rio Grande Valley.