Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film, The Room Next Door, his first English-language work, premiered in the competition section of the Venice Film Festival and has quickly become one of the most favourite films at the festival.
While The Room Next Door is firmly rooted in Almodóvar’s unique world, it noticeably departs from his well-known films. This time, the melodramatic elements are less prominent, with the film focusing more on the bitterness of the setting and the emotional weight of the situation. From beginning to end, death is central to the narrative – a theme that is arguably the most profound and unresolved preoccupation of humanity. Now that Almodóvar himself is older and closer to death, he seems to offer a fresh exploration of the subject, weaving it into the lives of two female characters.
The film begins with Ingrid, a writer signing copies of her new book, which is about death. She soon receives news that her old friend, Martha, is in the hospital battling cancer and is nearing death. From this point on, the film enters the realm of death and never leaves, continuously juxtaposing it against -or alongside- life.
The reunion of the two women after many years is prompted by an unusual request from Martha. Although the film includes several flashbacks showing moments from Martha’s life, it thankfully avoids becoming a retrospective on their relationship. Instead, it swiftly moves forward to the present day: two middle-aged women together, one of whom is preparing to leave the world.
The film manages to avoid the melodramatic traps that could have ensnared Almodóvar. Even in this tear-jerking scenario, the usual intensity of his emotional flair is subdued. The camera passively captures a strange yet deeply real scene, one that portrays facing death as an intrinsic part of life.
Almodóvar, now more experienced and mature, approaches his unconventional story in a surprisingly ordinary manner, as though the strange situation at hand is merely a continuation of the characters’ everyday lives. The usual dramatic peaks and climaxes are absent, and the film progresses slowly, almost like a meditation. The tranquillity of the protagonist and her inner strength in accepting death extends beyond the screen, immersing the audience in a calm world that contrasts sharply with high-energy films like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Volver, or All About My Mother.
In a way, the mature Almodóvar no longer seems overly concerned with pleasing the audience at all costs. Here, he uses Hollywood resources and two top-tier actors to craft a film that goes against Hollywood norms. The storytelling, devoid of typical conventions, is minimal -the entire plot could be summarized in just two or three lines- resulting in a peculiar film about the search for meaning in death. It strives to offer a reasonable, albeit unconventional, answer to the fundamental contradiction between life and death, ultimately reaching a simple yet often forgotten conclusion: “Death is a part of life.”
In presenting this contrast and striving for an unspoken reconciliation between life and death, Almodóvar avoids the usual preambles and distractions. He critiques current events, openly expressing frustration with how life has strayed from its human course and how even showing affection has become impossible. One scene particularly stands out, where a fitness instructor, after hearing Ingrid’s grief about her dying friend, says he wants to hug her but cannot because bureaucratic rules prevent it.
Almodóvar strips away all excess in both his storytelling and directing, honing in on a pure moment where his two main characters are emotionally bare: Martha and Ingrid are metaphorically exposed to the audience, as the camera penetrates their inner worlds, sharing their thoughts, fears, and uncertainties with ease.
Though the film may seem a bit long and some scenes could have been shorter, it still manages to captivate the audience, guiding them through a non-linear narrative. This achievement is largely due to the brilliant performances of Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, who abandon the notion of “star power”-and conventional beauty- to share complex, memorable roles with the audience, roles that will undoubtedly stay with them for a long time.
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