As the Oscar nominations loom, one thing is certain, the odds are on a little film called Roma. What the film lacks in star power or even color, it makes up for in heart. In addition, Roma has somehow avoided the swirling controversies surrounding films like Green Book, First Man and other films that seem to draw outrage from social media.
On a modest $15 million budget, Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma has surged to the top of the Oscars odds, roughly a 1/1 favorite to win Best Picture according to sportsbettingdime.com’s Sascha Paruk. Its main competition is Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born remake (5/2), which cost nearly three times as much to produce. There’s certainly precedent for the Academy honoring smaller-scale films. The last Best Picture-winner with a budget over $25 million was Argo in 2013. However, there is considerably less precedent for a foreign-language film winning Best Picture. Indeed, it’s never happened in the 90-year history of the Oscars, so the Cuaron’s Spanish/Mixtec masterpiece would make history if it wins.
Recently Netflix presented a Roma art show at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The opening night was attended by Roma director Alfonso Cuaron and actresses Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira. The exhibit featured large photos from key scenes from Roma as well as original costumes and props. The most striking thing about the show was seeing the glorious color of the clothing, furniture and other props from the film. (Enjoy a gallery of photos from the event below.)
