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Since its debut at the 2018 Venice International Film Festival, the Spanish-language film Roma has been met with critical acclaim and a bevvy of awards, and this weekend's Oscars was no exception.
The autobiographical film is the creation of award-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, who walked away with multiple wins at Sunday night's ceremony, including Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Director.
Based on Alfonso's childhood, the film is a deeply personal portrayal of his family's undoing told from the perspective of the woman who raised him since he was 9 months old, Alfonso's former domestic worker and nanny, Liboria "Libo" Rodríguez. Last year, both Libo and Alfonso spoke with Variety.com about the film-making process.
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Speaking via a translator, Libo explained that she would often speak to Alfonso on the phone but had no clue about his plans to make a movie about her experiences while working for his family.
"He was getting all this information without me knowing what it was for. 'How do you remember this, Libo?' he said. 'Help me remember and understand.' Then it started to become weird. 'Libo, what did you used to wear? How did you dress?' Things like that. I never imagined everything I’m living right now, that a film would be based on me."
What motivated Alfonso to make Roma? "It was probably my own guilt about social dynamics, class dynamics, racial dynamics," Alfonso replied. "I was a white, middle-class, Mexican kid living in this bubble. I didn’t have an awareness. I [had] what your parents tell you – that you have to be nice to people who are less privileged than you and all of that – but you’re in your childhood universe."
When asked how she feels about the film's positive reception, Libo replied, "I feel very proud that the film is producing these reactions and touching everybody’s heart."
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