Oscar winner Cuaron pays personal tribute in new Netflix film Roma
After winning an Oscar for 2013 space drama Gravity, Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron chose to tell a touching personal story for his next movie Roma, looking back on his childhood memories growing up in Mexico City.
Set in 1970s Mexico and named after a neighbourhood in the capital city, the black-and-white semi-autobiographical film in Spanish focuses on one middle-class household and its indigenous maid.
An intimate portrait of strong and resilient women, it won the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival and is being tipped as an Oscar contender.
"The film is focusing on the life of Cleo, who is a domestic worker in a home," said the 57-year-old film-maker, who has helmed diverse films like Children Of Men, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban and Y Tu Mama Tambien.
"But it's really the story of one of the human beings whom I love the most. One of the women who raised me.
"I don't know if this film was ever attempting to create statements. It's more an approach to this family and to these people."
Asked if he felt pressure in making Roma after his Oscar triumph with Gravity, he said: "I mean, you don't think in terms of pressure, you just do whatever you think is the right thing to do.
"If you think of all the pressure, you don't move, you'll be petrified. It's like any film, it's something you need to do."
The critically-acclaimed film is set to show in one of Mexico's most exclusive venues, taking over the once-private screening room of the palatial presidential residence, which President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has opened to the public.
Lopez Obrador on Saturday transformed Los Pinos, the luxurious home of Mexican presidents during the last eight decades, into a cultural centre in a symbolic moment for his presidency that has promised an end to rule by the country's elite.
Roma will be the first film screened there for the public - a move that dovetails with Cuaron's own bid to transform the film-making industry.
After all, Roma will stream on Netflix beginning Dec 14 after limited release in arthouse theatres in Mexico.
Major chains balked at showing it because of the short time before it would become available on the streaming service. - REUTERS
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