Our reviews of films in theaters this Wednesday January 8, 2025.
“The Room Next Door” by Pedro Almodóvar
Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Almodóvar’s new film – the first in English! – brings together everything that makes his work so special: tragedy, the strong bond uniting women, the frankness of their exchanges and a sought-after aesthetic. When a successful writer (Julianne Moore) learns of the illness of one of her former friends (Tilda Swinton), she decides to go to her bedside. From a visit to the hospital to a confession in his house, their friendship will regain color until they embark together on an unusual adventure. In a setting worthy of an Edward Hopper painting, the Spanish filmmaker features two great American actresses who adopt the extravagances and subtleties of his cinema with ease and complicity. The result is a touching film.
“Winter in Sokcho” by Koya Kamura
Soo-Ha (Bella Kim), 23, never knew her father, French. So, when a Norman artist (Roschdy Zem) arrives at the guesthouse where she works, in a small seaside town in South Korea, the young woman shows interest in this quiet fifty-something. Like wild beasts, these two will observe each other, size each other up, try to communicate and forge a fragile bond. Imbued with the charisma of Roschdy Zem and the exquisite freshness of Bella Kim, Koya Kamura’s first feature film is a delicate painting of feelings. The opportunity to move into exotic geographical and emotional worlds. Immediate boarding.
“The daughter of a great love” by Agnès de Sacy
For her first steps behind the camera, screenwriter Agnès de Sacy chose to adapt into fiction a documentary she had made for Femis, about the meeting of her parents. On screen, they take on the features of Isabelle Carré and François Damiens. By remembering good memories, the divorcees they play remember that they loved each other. Despite the sincerity of the subject and a great investment from the actors, this feature film suffers from a fragile staging which sometimes struggles to keep up the pace and give real momentum to the dramatic stakes.
