From “Y Tu Mama Tambian” to “Children of Men” to “Gravity” Alfonso Cuaron already has a resume that has cemented his status of one the greatest filmmaker’s working today.

Yet it’s his latest work, “Roma,” that may be his crowning achievement – a very personal piece of cinema that grabs the audience in the opening scenes and never lets up. It’s an emotional roller coaster full of wonder and sorrow that feels like Cuaron rediscovering distant memories from his own childhood.

“Roma” is based in part in Cuaron’s own upbringing in a middle class family in a borough of Mexico City – following the year in the life of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), the live in maid for a family of four children, their grandmother, and another maid named Adela (Nancy García García) in the early 1970s.

The seemingly happy family has cracks with a strained relationship between the father Antonio (Fernando Grediaga) and the mother Sofia (Marina de Tavira) that eventually leads to Antonio leaving.

As the family adjusts to the separation, Cleo has a tryst a boy named Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero) that results in a pregnancy. Fermin doesn’t want to be a father leaving Cleo alone to worry about how she can be a single mom and keep her job with the family.

The story gets more complicated from there, as Cleo and Sofia both ponder their futures, but what makes “Roma” so exceptional is how much the story really captures these characters in a way that feels like Cuaron just dropped a camera into their lives and left in there for a year.

It’s a film that captures the essence of the time period in magnificent fashion – with everything from a single shot that goes through the house to a tracking shot down the streets of Mexico City to a student riot – with Cuaron – who also served as the cinematographer – bringing exquisite detail to every scene. “Roma” has no wasted space, demanding the audience to pay attention to everything in the frame.

If I have one negative thing to say about “Roma” it’s that I really hope as many people as possible get the chance to experience this in a theater instead of in the comforts of their homes. This is a movie that should be seen on the biggest screen with the best sound possible.

Like the look of the film, shot in beautiful black and white, the story has no wasted moments. “Roma” takes its time to settle in, allowing its audience to really get to know these characters on screen before raising the stakes with some extremely emotional moments in the final act.

It’s those moments where it becomes clear what Cuaron has done with “Roma,” he has created a visual scrapbook of his childhood for all the world to see.

It’s a stunning achievement that ranks among the very best films of 2018.

Starring: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira

Directed by: Alfonso Cuaron

Rating: R for graphic nudity, some disturbing images, and language

Playing at: Available for streaming on Netflix

Grade: A