The Room Next Door (2024)★ 6.9/10

The topic of death is usually something that doesn’t come up in normal conversation. Legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar has given us his first English-language feature film, a thought-provoking drama about friendship, life and death in THE ROOM NEXT DOOR. Based on the novel What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez, this is about a successful author Ingrid (Julianne Moore) who finds out that her estranged friend, Martha (Tilda Swinton), is in the hospital, diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer. Martha, determined to go out on her own terms, asks Ingrid if she can stay with her until the end, in the room next door. I knew I had to see this movie when Swinton snagged a Golden Globe nomination. Her and Moore are both fantastic in this. Their friendship feels so authentic. The music and scenery are serene and light, despite the subject matter. The color pallet is peaceful, yet certain shots contrast so beautifully. Almodóvar has crammed a lot into this, but everything has a purpose. Aspects of the illegality of euthanasia and how religion plays a part. How media (movies, music, books, art) sustains us in life, until it doesn’t. Even John Turturro has a great monologue on climate change. Death is inherently sad. The idea of never speaking to somebody ever again is scary. Making a movie about this subject matter, it’s almost impossible to strike a tone that isn’t too grim or sad, but it finds power in taking control over the life you have. Talking about death is hard, but it’s the one thing we all have in common. Paraphrasing a quote from R.A Salvatore: “We are all dying. That is the inescapable truth that can paralyze us with fear, or energize us with impatience and a desire to explore and experience, with the iron will to find a memory in every action.” THE ROOM NEXT DOOR might not be something you’re used to, but it allows the audience to do some pretty interesting self-reflection about things not often thought about.

Another story told from retrospection, but this time, Almodóvar finally centers on death. Most of the dialogue taps into life’s fears and hopes. This is the Almodóvar movie that made me cry the most.

This movie was amazing! Honestly, it's life changing.

Anyone else feel like Almodóvar’s movies have this tv-like aesthetics? No matter how I look at it, it just doesn’t have that cinematic feel.

The film is so boring. Lately, Almodóvar seems obsessed with fancy interiors and Piet Mondrian-style color blocking, which just feels stiff and repetitive. The director has gone from wild gender-focused comedies to quiet bedtime storytelling. It’s like he has finally turned into the kind of person he once criticized.

Almodóvar is stuck in his comfort zone. It feels like ever since Parallel Mothers, he’s been exploring this idea of “women retelling men’s stories.” In Parallel Mothers, it’s a daughter searching for her father; here, it’s a more straightforward take, with men falling silent, leaving women to tell or retell the story of war. On the bright side, there are plenty of references and homages woven in, showing that Almodóvar is still holding down the last bit of European art cinema pride.

Almodóvar’s cinematic achievements are inseparable from the passionate and vibrant homeland depicted in his films, as well as the unique characters who live extraordinary lives, yet always manage to evoke both credibility and empathy. He is undeniably the best artist at capturing the intensity of Spanish emotions. But how would his transition to the English-speaking world fare? Would he, like other directors who seem to lose their storytelling spark when moving away from their native language, struggle with this shift? Although Almodóvar confidently believes that his new work “remains spiritually in Spanish,” some of his fans might still feel uneasy without the familiar world of “passionate Spain” that is so central to his previous films. The emotional expression from these two Hollywood superstars, Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, is indeed more restrained than that of his usual Spanish collaborators, like Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem, and Penélope Cruz. But this is more due to the source material being an American novel, where the themes of dying and mutual support don’t call for over-the-top intensity. Both actresses deeply understood the story’s essence and conveyed a more universal emotional depth in their performances.

Los colores de Almodóvar y su ternura para contar historias. Un elenco maravilloso.

Almodóvar está preso na sua zona de conforto. Parece que desde Mães Paralelas, ele tem explorado a ideia de “mulheres recontando histórias de homens”. Em Mães Paralelas, é uma filha em busca do pai; aqui, é uma abordagem mais direta, com os homens ficando em silêncio, deixando as mulheres contar ou recontar a história da guerra. Pelo lado positivo, há muitas referências e homenagens entrelaçadas, mostrando que Almodóvar ainda mantém o que resta do orgulho do cinema artístico europeu.

O filme é tão chato. Ultimamente, Almodóvar parece obcecado por interiores sofisticados e blocos de cores no estilo Piet Mondrian, que parecem rígidos e repetitivos. O diretor passou de comédias selvagens focadas em gênero para uma narrativa tranquila para a hora de dormir. É como se ele finalmente tivesse se transformado no tipo de pessoa que uma vez criticou.

Alguém mais acha que os filmes de Almodóvar têm essa estética de TV? Não importa o quanto eu olhe, simplesmente não tem aquela sensação cinematográfica.

Esse filme foi incrível! Honestamente, é de mudar vidas.