The fact that Cuaron would rather choose to focus/evoke on the feelings of Fellini's 8 1/2 opening in the traffic instead of immersing into the titcular character's well being in labor is emblematic of the movie's problems. Cuaron isn't thinking about Cleo (omg do you know she's named after that Varda movie?) or what or how she feels. His main concern is to flex his film encyclopedia in every frame of this busy, disingenuous movie.