The full trailer for Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma has arrived, and it offers the best look yet at what may be Netflix’s best chance at taking home Oscar gold. The film is also a sign of the streaming service’s attempts to alter the way it distributes some of its original content, as Roma will be given a short theatrical release in a few select cities in November, before being made available to every Netflix subscriber a little later in December. 

The decision to release the film in theaters comes after the streaming giant’s public dispute with the Cannes Film Festival, which saw Netflix pull some of its films from the prestigious cinematic celebration in response to a rule that stipulated films in contention must be released in French theaters, a requirement that would alter their streaming distribution calendar in the same country. Now, it appears that in getting serious about being an Oscar contender, Netflix isn’t going find itself embroiled in a similar squabble over what constitutes cinema with the voting members of the Academy. The upside, of course, is that moviegoers in certain parts of the country will not only get the chance to see Cuarón’s film early, they’ll get to see it in theaters, too. 

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The reasons why a theatrical release will be important for Roma become readily apparent once you take a look at the full trailer. Not only does the film look beautiful, but the trailer is not at all shy about sharing the effusive praise bestowed upon the film by critics who’ve already seen it. Given the amount of five-star reviews popping up, it’s clear Netflix has something special on its late-2018 calendar, and there’s little chance Ted Sarandos is going to let this opportunity pass the company by. Watch the full Roma trailer below: 

Cuarón’s film shares a title and a similarly semi-autobiographical premise with Federico Fellini’s 1972 offering, Roma. They are both painterly epics about childhood and remembering the past. This time, though, Cuarón will take viewers through a middle-class family living in Mexico City in the ’70s. A setting that appears to be captured in rapturous detail from what’s seen in the trailer alone. 

It has been several years since the release of Gravity in 2013, for which Cuarón took home a Best Director Oscar. And though the filmmaker also delivered the short-lived NBC series Believe after that film, it’s clear he’s been putting the majority of creative energies since then in crafting what may well be considered his masterpiece. 

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Roma will have a limited theatrical release on November 21, and will stream on Netflix starting December 14.

  • Roma Release Date: 2018-12-14