On Sunday, Feb. 24, the 91st Academy Awards celebrated the best films of 2018, although there were questionable choices for the lineup in certain categories.  While the ceremony went, for some areas, smoothly, I respectfully disagree with the final decision to award “Green Book” Best Picture.

While the chemistry of the main characters in the film is exemplary, the filmmaking, especially the directing and story, were generic when compared to more radical and ambitious films in the Oscar lineup, such as “The Favourite” or “BlacKkKlansman.” However, what was truly snubbed after a mostly successful Oscar night was “Roma,” which I would argue was the most deserving nominee for Best Picture of 2018.

Expanding on a review I had written on the film, “Roma” is unlike any other film. The closest film comparable to it would be “Boyhood,” but even that is a beast of its own, to a lesser degree.

“Roma” comes from a special place in the heart of filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, and while it is definitely his story, it is also the story of the invisible. The film follows the indigenous people of Mexico who suffer ridicule from even their own peers, but the story resonates with everyone. It is a story built on love and nostalgia, but it also expands on how mysterious, yet exhilarating the future can be as we see through the eyes of the main character Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) and the family she cares for.  

The film is a slice of Cuaron’s life, celebrating the nature of family and everyday activities. Even significant others don’t carry the same weight that your close family does and this film perfectly encapsulates that. Your heritage also influences on your upbringing, but you can still persevere even when confronted with cultural problems, and Cleo truly does as she pushes herself out of the safety of a loving family.  

The film is a wondrous look at what we all long for: love. It’s love through family and love through culture and a vivid understanding that even when family members pass away, our memories of them will always be there, the family you still have will keep each other’s spirits up and the opportunity to have and create more family will always be available. All of this is evident in the film.  

“Roma” transports you to a dreamlike state as you become engrossed in something that you think has no purpose—a film with no plot—but “Roma” does have a purpose, a motivation greater than any of the Oscar nominees of the best of 2018.  

“Roma” wants you to understand that sometimes it is best to look behind you and ponder the brilliance of your childhood, of those years looking into the unknown. Sometimes life is strenuous, but there is nothing to fear because family will always be together, both blood and chosen.

Times may change and life will sometimes find a way to strike the ominous chords, but family values will always triumph in the end, because nothing is unknown in the company of loved ones.

“Roma” is one of the greatest and most touching films ever made. It’s a film that transcends what a few voters from the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences think, because it is more than a film. It is an emotional and relatable experience.