The Room Next Door
Pedro Almodóvar (Hable Con Ella, Dolor Y Gloria) makes his English-language debut with this penetrating look at mortality and friendship starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. Winner of the Golden Lion in Venice.
Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter. Eventually, they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.
Revisiting themes prevalent across his body of work, Almodóvar proves that his sensibility for writing and directing women is unmatched, while Moore and Swinton’s nuanced and sensitively delivered performances remind us why they rank among the world’s most celebrated actors. The evocative score was made by Almodóvar’s frequent collaborator Alberto Iglesias.
One might assume that the 75-year-old Spanish director of Hable Con Ella, Volver, Todo Sobre Y Madre and Dolor Y Gloria has a habit of winning big festival prizes. Quite incredibly, though, The Room Next Door was the first film of Almodóvar to win the top prize at a major festival, a win that was not only well-deserved but also overdue.