Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar made a grand return to the Venice Film Festival this year, bringing with him an enchanting new film titled The Room Next Door. Accompanied by stars Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, the film premiered on the Lido to extraordinary acclaim, receiving a standing ovation that lasted almost 20 minutes. This remarkable reception marks a milestone not only for the festival but also for Almodóvar, as this film is his first venture into English-language cinema.
Almodóvar expressed his initial apprehensions about working in a language that was not his own, yet he found reassurance in the collaborative spirit of his cast. “My insecurity disappeared after the first table read with the actresses, with the exchange of the first indications,” he wrote in his director’s statement. “The language wasn’t going to be a problem, and not because I master English, but because of the total disposition of the whole cast to understand me and to make it easy for me to understand them.”
The Room Next Door weaves an intricate narrative around the lives of Ingrid, played by Julianne Moore, and Martha, portrayed by Tilda Swinton. The two characters are estranged friends who reconnect after years apart when Ingrid learns that Martha, now a war reporter, is battling cancer. The film follows their poignant journey of rediscovery and the rekindling of their friendship in New York, while also delving into Martha’s strained relationship with her daughter through a series of heartfelt conversations.
Ahead of the premiere, Tilda Swinton shared her long-standing admiration for Almodóvar. She recounted her first encounter with his work, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, in London during the late 1980s. “I have worshipped in his high church ever since,” she said, noting that she always felt a kindred artistic spirit in him. Despite her eagerness, collaborating with Almodóvar initially seemed like an unachievable dream. “I said, ‘Listen I’ll learn Spanish for you, you can make me mute,’” Swinton recalled with a laugh, remembering her plea to the filmmaker.
The screening of The Room Next Door at #Venezia81 was a remarkable affair, marking Almodóvar’s return to the prestigious festival where he has had a significant history. His previous film presented at Venice was Parallel Mothers in 2021, earning Penelope Cruz the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. Almodóvar also received a lifetime achievement award at the festival in 2019. Reflecting on his long association with Venice, Almodóvar remarked, “I was born as a film director in 1983 in Venice.” He first attended the festival with his groundbreaking film, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, a few years after his initial debut.
Almodóvar’s latest work has been lauded for the formidable performances by Swinton and Moore.
. “Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore carry the weight of the whole film on their shoulders, and they are a spectacle,” he wrote. “I have been fortunate in that both give a veritable recital. At times during shooting, both the crew and I were on the verge of tears watching them. It was a very moving shoot and, in some way, blessed.”
Despite its themes revolving around death, The Room Next Door exudes a profound sense of life and self-determination. The narrative takes a poignant turn when Martha, facing the end of her life, asks Ingrid to join her in a house upstate for her final days. Even though death is an underlying presence, the conversations between the characters are filled with reflections on life and legacy. “We talked a lot about life, but we didn’t really talk about death. What can you say? You can talk about dying,” Swinton noted. “This film is a portrait of self-determination…This feeling of (death) being a celebration felt for me very real and very relatable, and I can’t say that I wouldn’t act in the same way if I was in her shoes.”
Both Swinton and Moore were enthusiastic about highlighting a story centered on the friendship between two older women. “We very, very rarely see a story of female friendship and especially a story about female friends who are older,” Moore remarked. “The importance that he shows us is so unusual and was so moving to me that he portrayed this relationship as so profound, because it is.”
The Room Next Door is a fierce contender in the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival, where it competes alongside other anticipated films like Maria, and the soon-to-premiere Queer and Joker: Folie à Deux. The winners of the festival are set to be announced on September 7.
Sony Pictures Classics is slated to release The Room Next Door in theaters in December, opening the doors for a broader audience to experience Almodóvar’s English-language debut and the compelling performances of Swinton and Moore. The film underscores the power of friendship, self-discovery, and the poignant beauty of life’s final chapters, making it a standout entry in this year’s cinematic landscape.
