rom

 

In a perfect world, ROMA would win best picture. It’s not that it’s the best candidate amongst the eight films competing for Oscar’s top prize tomorrow night…it’s that it’s head-and-shoulders the best candidate.

Alfonso Cuarón gave viewers something tender and moving with his semi-autobiographical tale of life in Mexico City. It is loving, heartbreaking, complex, patient, and nuanced. It’s deceptively grand in its scale (something most viewers won’t notice from the vantage point of their couch), and it comes wrapped with some of the most intricate sound design you’ve ever heard (again, something most viewers won’t notice from the vantage point of their couch).

In an era where the very biggest films come with a general lack of stakes, ROMA pins you in place and truly makes you fear for the fate of its characters. What’s more, it knows that there are times where the viewer would like to get up, or look away…but it doesn’t let them. It says “This is this woman’s life. If her soul is being squeezed, so to must yours”.

In the past, this sort of movie would play festivals, major markets, art house cinemas, and eventually make its way to the great unwashed. What’s wonderful about ROMA’s release is that right from the opening tip, it was picked-up by Netflix. The digital streaming service believed that fans the world-over deserved a chance to see this work. That stories like Cuarón’s have something tangible for lives the world over, whether the viewer is a person of means or works for those who are.

The only question that remains is whether or not ROMA can parlay all of this goodwill and kudos into awards. One would think that the signs are there, with ten Oscar nominations to its name. In the age of a ranked ballot, it’s not hard to imagine this film picking up a lot of second and third place votes from arty films like THE FAVOURITE and BLACKkKLANSMAN and parlay that into a win. However ther has been no consensus this Awards season. The guilds that usually act as a precursor for this sort of thing didn’t rally around any one film, and the inclusion of such problematic nominees like VICE, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, and GREEN BOOK mean all bets are off.

That said, ROMA should win. In an age where Mexicans are being villainized in America, ROMA is a bold counter-argument. What’s more – as my brother rightly said – it’s insane that Oscar has been handing out awards for over ninety years, through the careers of masters like Fellini, Kurosawa, Bergman, Ozu, Godard, and so many more…and never named a foreign language film Best Picture.

The time has come, the best candidate is clear. Even if ROMA is somehow denied Best Picture at the 91st Oscars, time will be kind to this film and mark it as the best film amongst those eight nominees.