The Room Next Door, a drama by Pedro Almodóvar starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, explores the complexity of female friendships and their secrets. In theaters January 8, 2025.
The master of Spanish cinema Pedro Almodovar comes back with The Room Next Doora poignant drama carried by two major actresses, Julianne Moore et Tilda Swinton. The director, known for his emotionally rich works such as All about my mother et Bad educationthis time adapts the novel What Are You Going Through of Sigrid Nunez. This film promises to be an exploration of the complex bonds between two women, long-time friends, who reunite after years of separation. With an impressive cast also including John Turturro et Alessandro Nivola, The Room Next Door promises to offer an intense reflection on human relationships, while retaining Almodóvar’s unique visual touch.
Where and when to see The Room Next Door In France ?
The Room Next Door will be released in theaters from January 8, 2025.
In which theaters near me is the film shown? The Room Next Door ?
Synopsis : Ingrid and Martha, long-time friends, began their careers at the same magazine. When Ingrid becomes a successful novelist and Martha a war reporter, their paths diverge. But years later, their paths cross again in disturbing circumstances…
The film of Pedro Almodovar, The Room Next Door (The Room Next Door), marks an ambitious step in the Spanish director’s career. Awarded by the Golden Lion at the 2024 Venice Film Festivalthis drama explores universal themes such as friendship, illness and the right to die with dignity. Performed by two cinema icons, Tilda Swinton et Julianne Moorethe film is in the intimate vein of Almodóvar, with a theatrical touch that is debated. While the work has received praise for its performances and his neat aestheticcertain narrative and formal choices left some of the spectators wanting more.
Martha (Tilda Swinton), a war reporter reached by a terminal cancerreunites with her long-time friend, Ingrid (Julianne Moore), a novelist specializing in autofiction. Ingrid is a woman haunted by her visceral fear of deathwhich she explores in her latest book. Paradoxically, it is she, so poorly prepared to face the end of life, who agrees to accompany Martha in her last moments. This dynamic, marked by apprehension, reluctance but above all by a deep loveconstitutes the emotional heart of the film.
On a visual level, Pedro Almodovar delivers a work of great richness. Martha’s apartment, bathed in light, is decorated with colorful canvases which recall the works of contemporary masters. These vibrant touches contrast with Ingrid’s apartment, decorated with old furniture found in flea markets, which testify to his taste for objects that carry stories. Finally, the climax of the film takes place in a magnificent isolated house in the wilderness, where Martha chooses to end her life. This residence, equipped with a huge terrace and deckchairs offering a clear view of a calming forestbecomes a place of tranquility and introspection, enhanced by a artistic direction meticulous.
Tilda Swinton et Julianne Moore deliver performances technically impeccable, but their playing sometimes seems too distant. As their characters go through upsetting situations, a certain emotional coldness prevents the viewer from fully feeling their pain. The dialogue is often over-acted, and the actresses speak directly to the camera, breaking the fourth wall in a process that destabilizes more than it touches.
This explanatory narration weakens the emotional impact. The characters remember their common past by telling each other about events they experienced together, which gives the impression that they are addressing more spectators than to themselves. This choice, although justifiable in a theatrical perspectiveprevents immersion and limits the empathy felt for their dilemmas.
The punchy lines, such as “The dying should have the right to die with dignity” or even “The world is absurd and inhumane”resonate like theatrical statements more than moments of authentic dialogue. This approachalthough bold, contributes to the impression of a staging a little too intellectualized.
The subject of euthanasia a you right to die with dignity remains more relevant than ever. Pedro Almodovar treats this question with sincerity but sometimes adopts a nostalgic prism which clashes with the burning news of the debate. Certain scenes, like the one where Martha describes having acquired a euthanasia capsule on the dark web via a mathematician, border on the absurd and weaken the credibility of the plot. These details tarnish a subject which would have deserved an approach more anchored in reality.
This film is primarily aimed at fans of auteur cinemasensitive to existential themes and intimate reflection on friendship and the mort. Spectators who appreciate introspective works, where emotion is born from silences and glances, will find what they are looking for. Those who love the work of Pedro Almodovarwith its artistic direction impeccable and its chiseled dialogues, will be seduced by this dive into the intimacy of two women confronted with the inevitable. However, viewers looking for smooth storytelling or raw emotion might be disconcerted by the film’s theatrical and distanced aspect.
In short, The Room Next Door is a work that divides. If Pedro Almodovar demonstrates once again his mastery of visual codes and his ability to approach universal themesthe film suffers from an excess of theatricality and dialogues that ring false. Despite laudable intentions and renowned actresses, the emotion struggles to penetrate, leaving the viewer admiring but distant.
The Room Next Door will appeal to fans of introspective cinema through his reflection on ethical questions and his neat aesthetic. However, too rigid a staging and narrative clumsiness risk alienating part of the public.
In which theaters near me is the film shown? The Room Next Door ?
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