barbara epstein

We were expecting great things in this movie because of the relentless marketing ploys we saw on T.V. The best part was the opening scene where soapy water was repetitively washing over the paved floor. The water came in rhythmic waves, almost as from the ocean. The airplane in the sky above caught in the water’s reflection captured my imagination, making me think it was symbolic of something in the plot that would follow. A plot never did follow. The rest of the movie had me waiting for more that never happened. Random events came and went that had no bearing on the story, the earthquake without a consequence, the fire without an explanation or consequence, the mindless wild folk character at the hacienda fire that had no real explanation or reason, the boyfriend doing nude martial arts before sex, to name a few. The dialogue was stupid. The focus on dog ecrement was disgusting and added to our depression from the movie,ie, so many bad things happening sequentially. No character development, aside from revealing Cleo’s obvious love for “her kids.” I only understood her because I am familiar with her indigenous culture, not because the filmmaker created my understanding of her character, necessarily. We couldn’t figure out why the title was “Roma.” I disagree with the critics. This was at best, clumsy.