The Room Next Door Review – Captivating and Resonating, A Must See
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Wednesday, 13 November 2024 10:48
- Written by Janet Walker
The Room Next Door, from Sony Pictures Classics, brings to the screen the story of embracing the evitabilities of life, and when natures interject a cruel fate, deciding to create the ending of your choice.
The film begins with Ingrid, played by Julianne Moore, and author living in Manhattan, at a book signing as she has just published a novel which talks about her fear of death, when an acquaintance tells her about Martha, played by Tilda Swinton, a mutual friend from back in the day.
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This is when we learn Martha has Stage 4 cervical cancer and the prognosis is not promising. Even as Ingrid and Martha haven't seen each other in some time, she feels compelled to renew their friendship, for many reasons. We begin to realize that as they were both pursing publishing careers, and worked together at the same magazine, they were also attracted to the same men. The common bonds they shared bridged the distance that time and career imposed.
We understand the violence that cancer causes, and when Ingrid begins to visit Martha, she is in that place, where the savagery of the disease has attempted to devour her, she is skeletal thin, emaciated, her cheekbones, hollow, and we see as she looks out the window, at a world, that will never be hers again, the acceptance of the inevitable.
Once the two begin to reminisce, there are moments of light-hearted laughter, and for a moment the finality of the situation has been brushed away by the remembrances of lives, and lovers, and the moments, etched on the mind and suddenly resurrected and for Martha, they are relived on screen as she explains her war reporting days. Of course, death and reality, with its clutching claws is swift to return.
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As Martha travels through the tests, and the treatments, and the aide effects, the burden of fighting against the inevitable forces her to rethink the next round of clinical trials, a new drug, which may or may not reduce the cancer, and you may or may not be in remission, and you may or may not extend your life by days, minutes, seconds. She decides she is going home. No more hospitals, no more tests, no more clinical trials.
This is when she asks Ingrid to consider simply being at the house, in the room next door, as she decides to end her life. The choice of dying, after all medical options are exhausted, in this film, is the choice of the individual. Martha has chosen to live her life her way, and now confronted with small odds of extending her life long enough to endure another excruciating treatment, she has chosen to die with dignity, in a location, and a time, of her choice.
Ingrid agrees to accompany her and stay with her until she decides to die. This ushers in measured, clear, and decisive final act, and the fall out, as the choice to die is not really a choice as we find out.
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The Room Next Door explores the notion that the pursuit of happiness also includes dying as one decides. The film is very measured, each beat well thought out, timed and directed. The performances are masterclass worthy and the methodical determination, and emotional resonance translate onto the screen and to the audience and experience the lives and moments and internalize and complete the decision.
During the AFI Film Fest 2024 Q& A with film's star John Turturro, he explained to the audience, that The Room Next Door star's Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton were in rehearsals for six months, as Pedro Almodovar, worked with them on all aspects and as it was presented had specific ideas what he expected in each character.
The cinematography was stunning, Eduard Grau, the director of photography was also part of the Q&A, explained has he has been working with the director over many films, he understood many of the elements used to create the season of life, the reflection in the windows, which serve as a reflection into the past, and the moments, right before spring has chased the winter away, and a unseasonable warm day, as spring is renewal, the end of winter, the last season is presents with the mixture of greenery and the falling of the snow.
Resonating and memorable, The Room Next Door is captivating. A must see.
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Country: U.S.
Language: English.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
Director: Pedro Almodovar.
Producer: Agustin Almodovar.
Executive Producer: Joshua Blum, Esther Garcia, Han West.
Writer: Pedro Almodovar, from the novel written by Sigrid Nunez.
Cast: Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro, Alessandro Nivola, Juan Diego Botto, Raul Arevalo, Victoria Luengo, Alex Hogh Andersen, Esther McGregor, Alvise Rigo, Melina Matthews, Sarah Demeestere, Anh Duong, Bobbi Salvor Menuez, Annika Wahlsten, Shane Woodward, Paolo Luka Noe, Cristina Kovani, Nya Bowman, Dora Rowdon, Victor Longo, Anton Antoniadis, Cela Rocha, Kyla Thomas, Toon de Melker.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and the International Federation of Journalists.
