Oscar nominations: 'Roma,' 'Cold War' lead a bracing foreign invasion
The first happy surprise of the Academy Award nominations arrived with the first category unveiled Tuesday morning, when Marina de Tavira, a 44-year-old veteran of the Mexican stage and screen, received a supporting actress nod for "Roma."
De Tavira's nomination was a telling one. It wasn't just the quality of the performance that made the news so welcome, although it certainly bears mentioning: As Sofia, the soon-to-be-divorced wife and mother who commands the house but not the dramatic focus of Alfonso Cuaron's luminous film, De Tavira has the tricky task of piecing together an emotionally complex character within the margins of a panorama. Given how few non-English-language performances tend to land on Oscar's radar, it took a discerning eye for voters from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to single out her fiercely compassionate work. (A tide of critical adulation for "Roma" and a well-run Netflix campaign didn't hurt.)
