The Room Next Door
Written by Dilan Fernando
Warning: The following review is of a film that is part of TIFF 2024 and may contain spoilers for The Room Next Door. Reader discretion is advised.
Death looms over every scene of Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language film The Room Next Door (2024) an adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s novel What Are You Going Through?. It creeps along corridors, hanging from walls its eyes follow, and creates a sense of impending mortality.
Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton play two middle-aged friends living in New York reconnecting after one is diagnosed with cervical cancer. One a best-selling author named Ingrid (Moore) of a book about confronting death, the other a retired war-time journalist named Martha (Swinton) whose near-death encounters are level with the amount of assignments she’s been on. Each of whom are coming to terms with their acceptance of death’s shadow closing in on them.
Almodóvar spends his time scrutinously analysing what creates this paranoia around death and confronting it with a support system. A component of that system is a shared lover, Damian Cunningham (John Turturro), a beacon of nostalgia and the importance of connection. The life experiences of each woman are crucial as it bridged the gap between present life and the after-life, preparing one for the other. This film takes the themes better dissected in the filmmaker’s Spanish-language films, making them more accessible.
Almodóvar’s balance of the dark and light aspects of humanity seem dialled back, making it more of a Douglas Sirk or Todd Haynes take on American melodrama. A jagged edge smoothed down. Was this his intention? If so, it’s contrary to the performances which feel so lived-in helping to create a genuine chemistry between the two leads, redeeming the dialogue which at times is inconsistent with the emotions of a scene. This sisterly bond as seen in Almodóvar’s other films like All About My Mother (1999), Volver (2006), and Parallel Mothers (2021) show another evolution on the road of womanhood.
Though Almodóvar doesn’t say much new with this film, he does it with panache and a deep feeling of the material. For those who find this film challenging, know that at his best Almodóvar’s greatness will make your head take a dirt nap.
Dilan Fernando graduated with a degree in Communications from Brock University. ”Written sentiments are more poetic than spoken word. Film will always preserve more than digital could ever. Only after a great film experience can one begin to see all that life has to offer.“