Roma & Marx

            Reading a selection of Marx in conjunction with watching the movie “Roma” provided an interesting lens through which to view the film. Based on my reading of Marx I approached Roma through the lens of viewing labor as a commodity and people who perform labor as commodities to be consumed. Cleo and her relationship with the family she works for is an interesting juxtaposition as their interactions span a wide range from employer/employee behavior to family like interactions.

            There are a couple of scenes in the movie that stuck out to me as when Cleo’s commodification was most prominently displayed. The first is when Sofia is on the phone and slaps Paco for eavesdropping. She immediately is overtaken by guilt and hugs and cries with Paco apologizing profusely. However, in that same moment she screams at Cleo for not stopping Paco from listening in on her conversation, displaying no empathy and treating her relationship with Cleo as disposable. In that moment, the stark contrast in how Sofia treats her son and how she treats Cleo demonstrates to the viewer that no matter how involved in the family’s life Cleo becomes she will always to some extent be an employee and therefore a laborer. There will always be the element in play that Cleo’s labor is being consumed by the family, and therefore there is a customer to provider aspect to the relationship. The second scene that sticks out to me as exemplifying Cleo’s commodification and dehumanization in the film is when she is begged to go on the trip to the beach with the family after the stillbirth of her child. Cleo is hesitant to go and the only reason she agrees is because the children beg her. The fact that Sofia lets the children beg Cleo shows the disconnect in that relationship. Sofia lets the children overwhelm Cleo and does not take it upon herself to keep the children from begging Cleo which would have allowed Cleo to have some space from the children after the loss of her own child. The trip is presented as time for Cleo to relax and try to recuperate. However, once on the trip Cleo does much of the work in caring for and watching the children and continues to fulfill her role as a laborer for the family. This demonstrates that there is never really a vacation from the burden of commodification for Cleo.

            In contrast with the scenes described above “Roma” also presents moments where Cleo has deep connection with Sofia, moments that display the humanity that exists in junction with the commodification Cleo experiences. One scene that really stuck out to me as representing this humanity is when Cleo tells Sofia that she is pregnant. Sofia’s first reaction is not anger or a desire to fire Cleo, but she comforts Cleo and asks her when she had her last period and who the father is. This is a moment of great empathy between Sofia and Cleo because Sofia treats Cleo with humility. She shows kindness and compassion and listens to Cleo. Further, the two women also bond in this moment over the vulnerability they feel because their men have left them. The baby’s father has left Cleo and Sofia’s husband has left her and the kids. This ability to bond over a feeling of abandonment helps foster this moment of connection for Cleo and Sofia and reminds us both of their humility.

            In conclusion watching “Roma” left me with the thought that no matter how much we focus on the commodification of laborers which Marx highlights, there is always an element of humility that creeps in because we are humans who are naturally wired to care about other humans.