The Room Next Door
2024
**½
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro, Alessandro Nivola, Juan Diego Botto, Raúl Arévalo, Melina Matthews, Victoria Luengo, Alex Høgh Andersen, Esther McGregor, Alvise Rigo, Sarah Demeestere
Ingrid reconnects with her old friend Martha, who is terminally ill with cancer. Martha has decided to end her life with dignity and asks Ingrid to stay by her side. The two women revisit their shared past and confront mortality, grief, and forgiveness. Pedro Almodóvar's first film in English contains most of his trademark elements—strong female characters, juicy melodrama, revealing flashbacks, and gorgeous visuals. Perhaps something got lost in translation, because everything—especially the dialogue—feels phony and mannered. I also found it distracting that many of the supporting characters are clearly non-native English speakers. The casting decision for the final scene is baffling. The film is based on Sigrid Nunez's 2020 novel What Are You Going Through.
