The limits of friendship are tested in acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s English language debut, The Room Next Door. This lovingly crafted and often moving drama treats the very serious subject of assisted dying with grace and compassion. And despite the subject-matter, it’s not nearly as depressing as you might think.
You can see on screen just how much care Almodóvar has put into the film – from his extensive and striking colour story to his precisely staged shots. Just check out how the light moves through a New York apartment in the early part of the film. This is really a beautiful film to watch (the visuals are from DOP Eduard Grau); and it represents something of a departure from his more toned-down Spanish films.
The film opens with a chance meeting between Martha (Tilda Swinton) and Ingrid (Julianne Moore) at a book signing in New York City. They had been friends many years earlier when they both worked at the same magazine. Ingrid left to become a well-regarded novelist, but Martha turned to war reporting. Her many assignments took her overseas, and they drifted apart. Now reunited, the old connection seems pretty strong. Enough, in fact, for Martha to ask Ingrid for a very big favour. Martha has cancer that has metastatised. She doesn’t have long to live, and wants to go out on her own terms. She’s acquired a pill on the Dark Web for that purpose. She wants to go to a beautiful house in upstate New York, and she wants Ingrid to come with her. She explains that she doesn’t want assistance, just companionship – someone to be in the room next door.
It all sounds very dire, but Almodóvar shows a surprisingly light touch with the material. As usual, he also wrote the screenplay, on this occasion adapting American writer Sigrid Nunez’ novel What Are You Going Through (2020). It has a lot more humour and a lot less pathos than I was expecting.
You might have heard the term “the uncanny valley” before. It refers to the fact that animation, no matter how realistic it might be, is never really the same as human actors. Crossing this “uncanny valley” is the holy grail for animators. In The Room Next Door, a different kind of “uncanny valley” emerges. At times, something about it just isn’t quite right. It might have something to do with the language change, because many of the scenes echo those in Almodóvar’s Spanish language films, where they totally worked. But in English, they seem a little awkward. That uneasiness is brought into sharp focus in the closing scenes, when an unfortunate casting choice drew laughter from the preview audience.
That should take nothing away from the two powerhouse central performances from Tilda Swinton (The Killer) and Julianne Moore (May December). Both are Oscar winners, so high-level performances are a given. But both actors manage to elevate the film into something pretty special. Both know how to work at the margins. There are few actually dramatic moments. Everything is conveyed through an inflection, a look. Their interactions feel real, even if occasionally the dialogue doesn’t. This is very much a two-hander, so there are limited opportunities for others. John Turturro (The Batman) has a few good scenes as Damian, a former lover of both women. And it was good to see Alessandro Nivola (Amsterdam) back in a cameo near the end of the film.
As with all Almodóvar films, this won’t be for everyone. But if you’re a fan of his Spanish films, you owe it to yourself to see this one.
David Edwards
Other reviews you might enjoy:
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
