Movie Review by Fr. Tom Condon, O.P.

Roma refers not to the Italian city, but to a middle-class neighborhood of Mexico City, where Oscar winning director Alfonso Cuarόn (Gravity) grew up. In this semi-autographical movie, Cuarόn takes us to the home of Antonio, a doctor, his wife Sofia, and three children (Paco, Pepe, and Sofi) in the 1970’s. As the movie opens, Antonio tells his Sofia that he is going away to a conference in Canada. Sadly, it soon becomes apparent that he will not return to his family.

The main character in the movie is Cleo, a young maid, beautifully played by Yalitza Aparicio.  Cleo gets the children ready for school, cleans the house, and does the laundry, and other chores. Cleo is the one who holds the family together while they cope with Antonio’s departure. 
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Movie Review by Fr. Tom Condon, O.P.

The Favourite is the story of England’s Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) in the early 18^th Century. The Queen was eccentric, suffered terribly from gout, and grieved her 17 children who died at childbirth or in early childhood. As the movie opens, Queen Anne’s constant companion is Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz). Queen Anne depended upon the counsel of Lady Sarah in state and personal matters. The two were inseparable.

One day a young woman named Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives at the Queen’s palace. Abigail informs Sarah that she is her cousin, looking for a position in the palace. Abigail’s father had fallen on hard times. Sarah hires Abigail as a kitchen maid.
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