The theme of death runs through your filmography. This time, the approach is even more frontal. Did you feel, at 75, that it was the right time to move in this direction?
It’s not calculated. I get started because an idea inspires me or a novel touches me deeply. For example, for this film, a chapter from a book by Sigrid Nunez had a profound impact on me. In this passage, Martha, the character played by Tilda Swinton, explains to Ingrid (Julianne Moore) that she wants to choose how to end her life and wishes to be supported. This pushed me to explore themes like mortality and friendship. I suppose the passage of time also influences my writing and, as a result, my themes today are more serious than those I addressed before.
Was avoiding being too dark on such a subject one of your concerns?
Absolutely. The subject is heavy, but I didn’t want a sordid film. My goal was to stay faithful to the personality of Tilda Swinton’s character, a lively, baroque woman full of energy. I wanted to talk about death as a vital act, a decision that is part of life. This is why I opted for bright and vibrant colors.
Among the themes covered, there is also literature. You mention, for example, the Bloomsbury circle. Can we draw a parallel between the relationship between Dora Carrington and Lytton Strachey with that of Martha and Ingrid?
The link is made naturally. In both cases, these are relationships marked by radical life choices, notably suicide. Virginia Woolf and Dora Carrington decided their own deaths, while Lytton Strachey died of cancer. In my film, this discussion around Woolf and Carrington serves above all to open up a reflection on Martha’s death.
”The Room Next Door” is your first feature film in English. Has this changed your approach?
Not really. Filming in English did not change the emotions expressed. I would have made the same film in Spanish. My short films in English essentially gave me a freedom, a freshness, which reminded me of my beginnings. That said, ”The Room Next Door” is not specifically American. It could take place in any country where euthanasia is illegal.
Have you discussed this issue of euthanasia with your two actresses?
Yes, we talked about it at length. Tilda and Julianne share my point of view: euthanasia should be a fundamental right. Individuals should be able to decide not only their lives, but also their deaths, especially when life brings nothing but suffering. Unfortunately, in many countries this right is still taboo. Even in Spain, where euthanasia is legal, obstacles remain, notably because of opposition from the Catholic right. This resistance is often dogmatic and selfish.
In a few sequences, your film also touches on other contemporary subjects such as #MeToo or ecology. Is this a way to take a stand?
These themes reflect my view of the world. For example, the scene with the sports teacher is a criticism of the excesses of political correctness. As for ecology, John Turturro’s character expresses concerns that have become reality since filming. Climate change is an emergency. In Spain, at the end of October, we experienced a Dana, a catastrophic cold drop caused by rising temperatures in the Mediterranean. This type of phenomenon shows that we are already in a climate crisis.
Alongside your achievements, you frequently publish books. Does writing give you something that cinema doesn’t?
Literature and cinema are complementary. I like both, although I think I’m a better filmmaker than writer! Writing, however, allows me to focus on nuances and details that cinema cannot always explore.
You also mentioned wanting to tour in France. Is this a concrete project?
It’s a long-standing desire. I have friends in French cinema and I deeply love this country. I had even considered adapting one of Pierre Lemaître’s novels from the Verhoeven saga years ago, but the rights had already been taken. The desire goes back even further, when I was a jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1992 and Gérard Depardieu chaired it. I had considered a film with him and Juliette Binoche, who had just finished ”The Hussard on the Roof”. It didn’t happen, but I haven’t given up on the idea of filming in France.
You have just received the Golden Lion in Venice. Are prices important to you?
It’s always a joy to receive them, but they don’t define a career. It would have been different in the 1980s, where an award would have greatly helped my production company! Today, they are above all recognition of collective work and are intended for the entire team.
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History
Longtime friends Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) 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…
Our opinion
The Spanish master returns with a new melodrama… which is also his first feature film shot in English. A little less at ease than when he directs in his native language, where he has a better command of what is left unsaid, his “Room next door” nonetheless remains a relevant reflection on the right to die with dignity.
As is often the case, Pedro Almodóvar delivers two very beautiful portraits of women, here played by Tilda Swinton, who plays the patient, consumed by cancer, and her friend played by Julianne Moore. A writer afraid of death, but who will agree to stay in the famous room next door, aware that the door to the room where her friend sleeps, always open, will be closed the day she decides to end in his days.
The staging, modest and delicate, knows how to bring out the emotion as it should without ever forcing the point. At 75 years old, we feel the filmmaker is more concerned than ever about the Grim Reaper, with a desire to tame him, control him and maintain control over his life. Although imperfect: the whole thing is a little mannered and some choices such as a flashback on a secondary character are unnecessary, the drama achieves its goal and has some dazzling moments, such as this final shot, both simple and virtuoso.
> De Pedro Almodóvar (Spain/USA). With Tilda Swinton, Julianne Moore, John Turturro… Drama. 1 h 47.
