‘Roma’: Childhood memories that teach lessons and open opportunities

“Roma” is a district in Mexico City where Alfonso Cuarón’s Academy Award-nominated film was shot. It reflects Cuarón’s childhood in 1970 Mexico through the life of Cleo, a maid and nanny for a middle class family. The film has captivated many people around the world such as Yalitza Aparicio, theactress who plays Cleo and whose been a victim of classism and racism in Latin America, but mainly in her country Mexico.

What Cuarón captures through his lens is more than the story of an indigenous domestic workerand an unstable family. According to nbcnews.com, “Cuarón captures a sense of social and class inequalities in subtle ways.” Cleo lives with the family in a small room outside of the main property and on some occasions, she must accept being mistreated by the family simply because of their social status differences.

According to theguardian.com, “Roma is a masterpiece, and Aparicio’s performance is astonishing.” Cuarón’s black and white story has had a strong impact on the Latinx community becauseof its similarities with many people’s real-life experiences.

“The movie took me back in time,” said Rosa Huanchi, a Kean student from Perú majoring in early childhood education. “Fortuna was my nanny’s name and I learned from her and her stories. She is always present in my memories and she taught me values.”

Huanchi believes Cleo’s story is a reminder of the hard work done by maids and nannies.

Aparicio is a 25-year-old indigenous woman whose been attacked after her success in “Roma.”

“In Latin America, indigenous people are seen in a negative way,” said Huanchi. “The stereotype against them is shocking as if they don’t belong to this world simply for being indigenous.”

Beatriz Garcia, a Mexican student at Kean, believes that Aparicio is being judged and discriminated against by all the people that envy her fame. Garcia also believes that Aparicio’s story is to be admired because regardless of where she was born, her life has changed for good.

“I’m glad she is moving forward in life,” said Garcia. “Yalitza is a role model.”

Before her Oscar nomination, in an interview with Laura Tillman for The New York Times, Aparicio explained how receiving an Oscar nomination would break “the stereotype that because we’re Indigenous we can’t do certain things because of our skin color.” She also mentioned that it would open many doors for indigenous people.

“There is a misrepresentation of indigenous [people] in Hollywood,” said Garcia. “Indigenous people are usually excluded from famous movies.”

The film has garnered much attention because of how similar the story can be to reality. “Roma” has also broken stereotypes and has given an opportunity to those who, according to Castillo, “society has detracted their talent just for their physical appearance or ethnicity.”