As the illustrious career of one of Spain’s, albeit, Europe’s most acclaimed modern directors keeps rolling, cinema is at the tail end of some of the medium’s most prolific auteurs’ last works; whether it be Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann or Pedro Almodóvar, we as an audience are so grateful with every new feature these legends keep producing.
With Pedro Almodóvar, the director has been tickling and wandering the very fine lines of morality and death in his last few films, with no apologies and very little remorse for a very sensitive subject. With Pain and Glory, Almodóvar sinks his teeth deep into an autobiographical look at the trial end of his career as well as approaching and passing his seventies in age. Yet, despite his reluctance to accept his age, Almodóvar’s career is flourishing, like never before, breaking barriers, boundaries and language.
With his newest feature film, The Room Next Door, Almodóvar’s first full feature-length film spoken in English, the prolific director recruits two of the most powerful and impressive actors of our time Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. Spearheading the film into a waterfall of tragedy and emotion, The Room Next Door is an elegant and beautiful film about the themes of suicide as well as taking possession of your life and allowing yourself to live the remainder of one’s life, without remorse, regret or doubt, much like Almodóvar himself, a true pioneer and an artist who's art is mimicking life and creating a pastiche of curated torment and beauty on screen
Yet pain is a large part of what haunts our two female leads. Whether it be the pain of the past, the very physical pain of the present or the lingering pain and torment of the future, the decisions both our protagonists choose to follow set the film into an extremely emotionally and mentally demanding purist of answers for its audience that may or may not arrive. While perception and one’s own experiences are HUGE catalysts towards understanding the love these two women have for one another and the world ahead of them, the film has a magical and uncanny familiarity for everyone watching it and how death has affected them on a personal and emotional level.
While the less you know about The Room Next Door will lead to a much more impressive and surprising viewing, one thing you can never count out with Almodóvar is his striking and very bold visual style. Almodóvar’s lens and fluid direction never falter. His movements with the camera add a dimension of poise and elegance that the director seems to perfect in his newest feature; still showing glimmers of his signature set pieces bloodied in the deep scarlets and reds while adding so much life and nourishment with his deep and Earthy greens and lucid blues; Almodóvar’s vision is never questioned, and The Room Next Door is no exception. Whether we are stuck in a home, a city, or the countryside, Almodóvar's visual storytelling techniques are demanding of his audience and pleasure our eyes to no end with narrative flair.
One constant in all of Almodóvar’s films is the power of its acting and the cast. While we can praise the visuals of The Room Next Door to no end, the power and soul of the film lie in its two female leads. No other male director in the world films and captures the beauty, pain and reclusive nature and thoughts of women better than Almodóvar. Swinton is an absolute marvel to behold. Moore gives one the greatest performances of her career in what seems to be a very demure yet powerhouse portrayal of a friend whose care and love for others shine before her priorities and desires. Two of the most accomplished actors in the industry today, give two of the best performances of 2024.
The Room Next Door is not a rowdy neighbour, nor is it a nuanced little film about love, loss and the pursuit of happiness. Almodóvar’s first English language feature is a very loud, bold and unapologetic fable of tragedy, loss and life that needs to be seen to be understood. Quiet are the scenes presented to the audience through the screen, but the film yells at the top of its lungs with such vibrancy and treacherous vigour that The Room Next Door not only becomes a film that you need to watch to appreciate Almodóvar’s canon, but an essential viewing for 2024.
Night Film Reviews: 9/10
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