Taking place in the early 1970s in Mexico City, this film is a semibiographical take on the life of Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón (who also produced, coedited, and shot the film), following a formative year in the life of a middle-class family and its live-in housekeeper. Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio, 25, makes her debut in the film as Cleodegaria "Cleo" Gutiérrez, one of the family's maids, a role that allowed her to be the first Indigenous woman (and only the second Mexican woman) to get an Oscar nomination for best actress.
This film also allowed Netflix to score its first-ever Oscar nomination for best picture (along with nine other nominations, including best director, best original screenplay, and best cinematography).