As so often, the movie transforms material that would otherwise be merely autobiographical: a heightened, hallucinatory version of Fellini takes us on a journey into the city, beginning with a spectacular shot of a traffic jam.
An intensely personal, exuberant and extravagant film that is at once a fantastical autobiography and a kind of episodic, biographical portrait of the film’s leading character: Rome itself, which is presented in a series of semi-connected episodes of its past and present. Roma is also notable for featuring a swansong appearance for the legendary Roman star Anna Magnani. As so often, the movie transforms material that would otherwise be merely autobiographical: a heightened, hallucinatory version of Fellini takes us on a journey into the city, beginning with a spectacular shot of a traffic jam.