The Room Next Door - Review 

Rating: 4 out of 5

PEDRO Almodovar’s The Room Next Door took the coveted Golden Lion Award at this year’s Venice Film Festival, marking his first ever major European festival award.

It’s an intriguing film that dares to ask difficult questions of challenging contemporary issues.

Euthanasia and assisted dying is very much to the fore, while climate change and the state of the planet are also given fair room for debate.

It’s also a celebration of life and friendship that thrives on the calibre of its performances, with Tilda Swindon and Julianne Moore clearly enjoying each other’s company as the co-leads and John Turturro adding typical gravitas to a key supporting role.

The story picks up as Ingrid (Moore), a bestselling author, learns that an old friend of hers - former war correspondent Martha (Swinton) - is dying of cancer.

Martha is someone she hasn’t contacted or thought about in years… not since they both dated the same man (Turturro). But they pick up where they left off so effortlessly that Martha is emboldened to ask Ingrid a favour.

She intends to spend one last peaceful weekend in a rented house in the country and then self-euthanise with a special pill she has obtained from the dark web. But she also wants company and so asks Ingrid to be in the next room while she does this, albeit armed with plausible deniability.

The only clue that Martha has committed the act will be the closed door of her bedroom; if it remains open each morning, she is still alive.

Over the course of a few days, Martha and Ingrid hang out, occasionally debating the merits of euthanasia and whether it is the right choice. Where Ingrid is sceptical and afraid of death, Martha remains determined.

She also recounts key moments from her life, including her estrangement from her daughter, as well as some of the insights she has gained from covering so much conflict.

It’s clear that she was once a vivacious character (something further confirmed via flashback), and that the prospect of death has unfairly come too soon.

Yet Martha’s plight is also set against the backdrop of a faltering planet… something put into words by Turturro’s former lover who, in one terrific dinner time exchange with Ingrid, puts the case that time is rapidly running out for survival. Hence, just as cancer is calling time for Martha, so Earth is calling time on humanity. And we’re powerless to prevent it.

For Martha, her defiance is in deciding to beat cancer by claiming her own life on her own terms: an act of defiance and her last form of combat. For Turturro, that fight is no longer worth waging… better instead to persuade people to stop populating.

Throughout Almodovar’s screenplay - adapted from g Sigrid Nunez’s novel What Are You Going Through - there are provocative discussions and perspectives.

A late camera from Alessandro Nivola as a devoutly religious cop investigating Martha’s demise puts a different perspective on euthanasia, placing Ingrid’s freedom on the line.

It lends balance and a degree of impartiality, offering a voice to those who disagree with assisted dying. But it is clear where Almodovar’s sympathies truly lie.

And his film is delivered and ended in such a way that allows for the discussion to continue afterwards, while still providing a measure of closure for its characters.

The film finishes with a beautifully delivered, poignant poem. It’s typically Almodovarian in its profound beauty. Likewise a scene, midway through, in which Ingrid joins Martha on her bed: the framing is exquisite as the former lies quietly beside her for mutual comfort, allowing the latter a wry, silent smile.

But then The Room Next Door also remains true to the spirit of classic Almodovar despite representing his first English language film.

There’s a sense of style that’s very definitely the filmmaker’s own, much like the dialogue and the way it can be delivered. And the music also feels evocative of past work, even if the orchestral score sometimes takes you out of the drama and makes you aware you are watching a film. There’s almost a heightened reality at times.

But at its core, The Room Next Door is a thoughtful exploration of some highly relevant issues… ones that many of us have either had to or almost certainly will need to confront. It’s articulate without being preachy and it lingers for some time afterwards.

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 108mins