Shortly after Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma was released, Yalitza Aparicio (Cleo) wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times. She argued that the film “lit a fire for workers rights” and provided a voice for disenfranchised groups, like Mexico’s indigenous population. By vividly showing the discrimination that women like Cleo are subject to, the film had apparently paved the way for a momentous legal victory. A few months after Roma’s triumphs at the Oscar’s, Mexico’s congress introduced new legislation that granted social protections, employment contracts and many other benefits to the country’s two million domestic workers. Yalitza also notes that this momentum extends north of the border with the US congress currently considering their own National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.
Many don’t share Yalitza’s optimistic view, but there’s no doubt that Roma sparked an important conversation about the rights of domestic workers.
Many who lead similar lives to Cleo praised the film for an honest and clear portrayal of domestic workers. In an open letter addressed to the women of Roma, the National Domestic Workers Alliance noted that “All too often, domestic workers in film and pop culture are turned into stereotypes, and our work is caricatured. We’re pushed to the margins, hidden behind the scenes, or forced to be silent and invisible. But this film–Roma–was different.”
After reflecting on the movies and TV shows I’d seen growing up, it didn’t take long for me to realise what this letter was referring to. It’s Consuela in family guy, it’s Marisa in maid from Manhattan and Rosario from Will and Grace. Even the 2011 film “The Help” that took the maids’ point of view may have also fallen into the realm of stereotype. The Association of Black Women historians criticised to the film, saying it “distorts, ignores and trivialises the experiences of black domestic workers” and represents “a disappointing resurrection of Mammy”, the stereotypical figure of a black maid that is rooted in the US’s history of slavery. Too often these characters are one-dimensional and don’t allow us to appreciate the scale and sacrifice of their work.
So how does Alfonso Cuaron avoid this trap and instead provide a genuine and truthful depiction of domestic workers? Well, the answer is simple, instead of relying on stereotype to inform the characterisation of Cleo, he looked to his own childhood memories. She is based on Liboria Rodriguez or Libo, Cuaran’s real life nanny that had a profound impact on his upbringing.
This sets Roma apart from many films that tackle social issues. For example, I, Daniel Blake gives us a genuine experience of the UK’s frustrating social welfare system, yet some attacked the film for being far removed from reality. Whilst I don’t agree with this criticism, it is something that its director, Ken Loach, provokes with his political views. It is a story that we would expect him to tell and he probably chose to show the most visceral moments that support his point of view. You could also say the same about Spike Lee who chose to end his film Black Klansman with footage of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Cuaron’s approach is different, he doesn’t pick and choose moments and details, and instead draws almost entirely from his own personal memory. The result is a film that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to shove certain political or social message down our throats, it’s just an honest retelling of a world we rarely see.
And we are drawn into this world by the film’s masterful use of real time and real space. We don’t skip over the laborious process of Cleo mopping the driveway or tidying clothes away, we must endure it just as she does. This makes her treatment at the hands of her host family even more impactful. Imagine, how different it would be to see the dog mess scene if we had not already spent all that time with Cleo, watching her every motion as she methodically cleaned the house, entertained the children and got them ready for school. The film fosters an empathy with a lifestyle that is rarely seen in real life, let alone on screen.
Through Cleo, we see just how often we prioritise the wrong things; pursuing material possessions over genuine human connection. And we see just how this important this connection is to the family, especially when it experiences the turmoil of divorce. Despite this and despite being seen “as part of the family”, she is always one step away, always working, always aware of her position in the hierarchy of the household. This shows us just how easy it is for workers such as Cleo to be overlooked and denied their rights. Commenting on the cover photo of his film, Cuaron said “That embrace is as much a hug as a cage”
Being told and treated like “they are part of the family” may in fact serve as a means to withhold the decent wages, treatment and social security that are owed to the person holding it together. Domestic workers are undervalued all too often, which isn’t helped by the stereotyping I talked about earlier. At the end of the film, the audience are keenly aware of the poverty, defenceless and marginalisation faced by those like Cleo, yet this message is never dictated to us. In fact, Cuaron specifically said that he wanted to avoid this.
and this exactly the reason why I think Roma has had such an impact, rather than telling us about domestic workers, it shows us an inconvenient and uncensored reality that we can’t argue with
So, did Roma really light a fire for workers’ rights? Whilst the film has enjoyed near universal praise from domestic workers, it’s important to not to overstate its impact. One glance at Reddit and it appears there is considerable doubt about Yalitza’s claims. Some residents of Mexico City explained that they had seen no visible change whatsoever and accuse the article of whitewashing. Some noted that, whilst the legal victory is certainly an achievement, it is only one piece of the puzzle. Nearly 60 percent of the country’s population have informal jobs and so enforcing such widespread legislation will be incredibly challenging. Without an accompanying cultural shift, its unlikely that we’ll see the optimism Yalitza’s article invokes. The battle may be far from over, but Roma is, undeniably, a cultural landmark that will help the cause and challenge stereotypes for years to come.
This all came at a crucial time for Mexico’s domestic workers as many had been left without wages because of the coronavirus pandemic. The leader of the UN-backed “care for those who care for you movement” underlined this issue “It is not a matter of charity, it is not a favor, it is a right that domestic workers deserve at this time, and we ask for this solidarity from employers so that they continue to pay them, and give them the right to quarantine with wages intact.”
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