The Room Next Door is the English language debut of Spanish writer/director Pedro Almodóvar featuring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in the lead roles as Martha and Ingrid respectively. Martha and Ingrid are two people drawn together by their shared history to spend the final period of Martha’s life in peace, introspection and connection. 

 

The Room Next Door was based on the American novel What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez and explores the period of time that Ingrid and Martha connect after many years apart following a close friendship in their youth.

 

Ingrid seeks Martha out after learning of Martha’s terminal cancer diagnosis through a mutual friend. They meet and share stories of their life since they knew each other. Following this, Martha shares with Ingrid her plan to end her life, before she feels that life with cancer for her becomes unbearable.

 

Shocked, Ingrid questions and reasons with Martha, but steadfast, Martha elaborates further: her plan includes Ingrid being in the house with her when the time comes. Martha wants to know someone she trusts is in the room next door when she leaves.

 

The Room Next Door deals with a challenging subject, but Almodóvar and his actors handle it with skill and care. Motivations are explored, reasoning tested, pragmatism countered by hope.

 

Swinton and Moore are excellent in their roles, however there is a stage-y feeling to the dialogue delivery between the two actors. This will have been a directorial choice, and it’s not unreasonable to anticipate this may have been the intent, but could encourage the feeling of unreality of the situation.

 

The Room Next Door is an affecting and challenging film exploring the connection between two old friends and the reality of the dwindling remaining life for one of them in the wake of terminal cancer.