‘Roma’ Becomes The First Netflix Film To Join The Criterion Collection
While a few original Netflix shows have received Blu-ray releases, Netflix movies tend not to get the same treatment. But that’s about to change – in a big way.Roma, the Netflix movie that scored several Oscar nominations and took home Best Foreign Language Film, is getting a Blu-ray release – and not just any old Blu-ray release, either. We’re talking The Criterion Collection here, which is about as fancy as you can get in the Blu-ray world.
I was wondering the other day ifThe Irishman, Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Netflix movie, would ever end up on Blu-ray. My original assumption was negative – after all, Netflix movies don’t usually get Blu releases. But then came the news that we’re getting aRomaBlu-ray release from Criterion. If that could happen forAlfonso Cuaron’s award winner maybeThe Irishmanstands a chance as well.
Roma"follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young domestic worker for a family in the middle-class neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City. Delivering an artful love letter to the women who raised him, Cuarón draws on his own childhood to create a vivid and emotional portrait of domestic strife and social hierarchy amidst political turmoil of the 1970s." It was one of 2018’s best films, andreallyshould’ve won Best Picture instead ofGreen Book, but its Best Foreign Language win is nothing to sneeze at.
BringingRomato the Criterion Collection feels like a sea change of sorts. There was a time when the thought of a Netflix movie being released via Criterion seemed silly at best. Now, it’s a reality – and it makes sense.Romais highly acclaimed and exactly the type of movie that fits into the collection. You might argue that a Netflix movie doesn’tneeda Blu-ray release since it’s on Netflix already. But here’s the thing: not everyone has Netflix. And on top of that movies just look better on Blu-ray than they do on streaming. BringingRomato Criterion is a good move, and I can only hope some other Netflix films will follow in its footsteps. Yes, I’m talking aboutBright(no I’m not).
Best of all, the Criterion release gives us something we definitely can’t get on Netflix: special features. Here’s what the Criterion release includes:
TheRomaCriterion Collection Blu-ray arrives onFebruary 11, 2020. See the cover art below.
