VENICE, Italy—Ingrid (Julianne Moore) is a writer, signing copies of her new book. She’s written it to help process her fears about death, but that hasn’t worked. An old friend, Martha (Tilda Swinton), surprises her at a book signing with some unfortunate news: She is dying from an aggressive cancer. The pair haven’t seen each other in years, but when Ingrid visits Martha in her hospital room, the two immediately reconnect; they haven’t lost a step. Going to the hospital to see Martha is a decision that will change Ingrid’s life forever.
The Room Next Door, which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is a gorgeous film about the unbreakable bonds of friendship. It’s slower and more contemplative than what we’ve come to expect from Pedro Almodóvar, yet this bold new avenue feels like a perfect fit.
His first feature film in the English language (after the gay cowboy short Strange Way of Life), Almodóvar’s dialogue is not lost in translation. It’s sparkling, refreshing, natural, and profound. The Room Next Door is largely a two-hander, with Moore and Swinton alone together on screen for the vast majority of the film. Nearly every scene is a pairing—rarely does a third person enter a scene. This is a film about connections between two people, be they friends or lovers, and how they interact with one another in times of uncertainty. It’s often poetic and uplifting: “There are lots of ways to love inside of tragedy,” one character reveals.
