With “The Room Next Door”, Pedro Almodóvar in turn comments on the debate on the end of life

CINEMA – A sublime isolated rental house, two old friends and a slightly special request… This Wednesday, January 8, Pedro Almodóvar returns to the cinema with the dose of mystery that we know from him, on the occasion of the release in theaters French of his new drama, The Room Next Door.

Direction New York, where we find Martha on her hospital bed. That day, the former war photographer played by Tilda Swinton has a visitor. It’s Ingrid (Julianne Moore). And while the two women have not seen each other for many years, the first announces news to the other. His cancer has gained ground.

Martha is disappointed. What is the point of continuing the treatment? Ingrid does not agree. What if he still had a chance? The days pass, and nothing happens. Back home, Martha summons her best friend to tell her about her idea. She decided to end her life. And everything is planned.

She has already found the deadly pill on the dark web and booked her dream home, where she can fall asleep for good. Only one unknown remains to be resolved. Who to accompany him? Going alone is out of the question. It’s too difficult. And ultimately, this all-expenses-paid stay in the forest could well turn out to be relaxing for everyone. What’s enough to convince Ingrid to move into the guest room?

Check out the trailer below:

Behind this intriguing pitch hides a film of rare beauty, and a very current social debate: the end of life. A vast theme, often at the heart of the news in France (and elsewhere) under the expressions assisted suicide, active assistance in dying, assisted suicide, etc. The Room Next Door don’t beat around the bush. The feature film decides in favor of the freedom of each person to decide on their own death.

The end of life at the cinema

« Euthanasia should be possible everywhere in the world. It should be regulated and a doctor should be allowed to help his patient », according to Pedro Almodóvar, during a press conference organized on the sidelines of the screening of his feature film at the Venice Film Festival, where he won the Golden Lion last August.

He is not the first to tackle the subject. Several directors before him have tackled it, including very recently Paul Schrader with Oh, Canadaor longer ago Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Emmanuelle Bercot (During his lifetime) and Stéphane Brizé (A few hours of spring), to name just a few.

Where Pedro Almodóvar stands out is in the point of view he adopts. Here, that of Ingrid, the companion. At first recalcitrant, Martha’s friend agrees to take on the role. A strong gesture, according to the filmmaker. At the microphone of France Inter, he declared: “ Having the generosity to “accompany” someone is one of the most beneficial qualities towards others. A quality superior to great feelings such as love, friendship or fraternity. »

Pedro Almodóvar and the death

Like Julianne Moore’s character, he is terrified of death. He does not accept it, does not understand it, as he confided to the Dutch director Halina Reijn in a face-to-face meeting for Variety. This is why he firmly believes that once the body leaves, the mind slips elsewhere. “ I don’t think people die with death », he testifies.

An atheist at heart, Pedro Almodóvar is convinced that there is an alternative to the afterlife. The idea found its way into his latest film. Not in a literal or paranormal way, Martha is reincarnated in her friend Ingrid, he explains, still at France Inter.

This is found in “ this friendship renewed by the two women, sublimated by an emotion similar to love, but without the disadvantages of love, during the weeks during which they share the house in the forest. » A place which, according to the director, “ reminiscent of limbo, located on the border between real existence and the afterlife »he whispers about his film, the first in English. To better reach as many people as possible?

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