I realize this threads a bit old, but having just watched Roma last night, then stumbled upon Brody's review tonight - and now finding myself here, I gotta get this off my chest.

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It is tragic - absolutely tragic - that Alfonso Cuarón didn't make the movie that Brody wanted him to make. It's devastating - it's so incredibly unkind, and ignorant, and narrow and blank and just WRONG that the movie is Cuarón's vision rather than Brody's.

Brody wanted a big political rant, apparently, based upon the review swimming with all the current 'if it's not political, it's not relevant' bloviations from top to bottom.

The movie isn't about the political upheaval at that time. It's not about the injustices between rich and poor, or the marginalization of the indigenous by the Spanish elites. Those things existed, but they are peripheral to this story.

The movie was gorgeous, both in vision and in content. Shockingly, people don't have to be smacked in the face with bumper-sticker politics in order to understand and feel the subtexts.

The story is ultimately Cuarón's remembrances of his childhood. I remember when I was a kid - a long time ago - and yeah, there was all kinds of political stuff going on in the world back then, but most of it was just sort of a background haze behind the really important things to a little kid, like playing games or going swimming. The people you were around were the most important parts of one's life as a kid. And apparently Libo left an indelible mark on Cuarón - and he delivered this love letter in return.

Brody's "review" is one of the most cynical things I've read in a while. I'm shocked that he didn't whimper that there were no gay characters in the film. Or disabled characters. Why didn't Cuarón confront the issue of abortion! Whose side was he on!

Brody missed a great, great movie, great in its quietness.