I watch the Oscars every year - albeit, mostly out of curiosity and boredom. I am terrible at watching any of the nominated films though. I always have been and I am unsure why. It could be the fact that I want to watch a movie because I am interested in it enough rather than because a board of people told me it was the Best Picture of said year. "Roma," however, piqued my interest just shy of the Oscars. Debuting first on Netflix whilst being nominated for several Academy Awards, a brilliant marketing decision I believe, I had heard many different things about the film. I watched it just two days after the Oscars and I must tell you: it literally left my jaw dropped.

I am unsure of what I expected out of the film prior to watching it in the first place. In fact, I am going to claim that I didn't expect anything, really, but whatever preconceived notions I did not have or even the ones lingering unconsciously in the back of my head, were certainly gone within the first hour of the movie.

Cuarón's beautiful tribute to the women in his life in the elite district of Mexico City, Roma, paints such a vivid picture within the black and white frames, shot for shot, that I could never do such brilliance justice in mere words. The amount of thought and layers within the film all contribute to the work of art that is "Roma", bringing to life the chaos, pain, and reality of those in Cuarón's life in a way that could make anyone in the audience almost feel like they are experiencing the story themselves."Roma" is not only à beautiful film but is also put together in a manic, yet brilliant way. I had been told by many that it is random and odd and hard to follow, but I disagree. It appears random because of how close it feels to the reality of 1971 Mexico, especially for the protagonist, Cleo, who is a maid for a wealthy family, juggling her responsibilities with her job as well as with her personal life. Everything that happens has a purpose and feels a little too close to the heart - from love affairs to shoot-outs and forest fires.

I will not provide any spoilers, but I do recommend that you give it a watch. It put me through way more emotion than I had ever expected and was probably not the best film to give a casual watch, but all in all, I find that it is a movie to be acknowledged with all of its brilliance. I laughed, I cried, I held my chest in shock. As for its Oscar nominations and wins, I believe it won everything it deserved - no more, no less. It definitely isn't a film that will be a "family favorite" or good for a casual movie night, but nonetheless, I once again encourage you to give it a watch. You may find yourself enveloped in more than you could ever expect from the seemingly simple film.