By Mark Fields
Compelling Performances in Story of Assisted Death
It is an intriguing movie package to offer: powerhouse actresses Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in the first English-language film by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (Talk to Her, Volver, and All About My Mother). Further enticement comes in its timely and controversial subject matter: medical aid-in-dying. The Room Next Door has a lot going for it, but viewers should be prepared, this is a movie that is long on talk (and great acting) and short on visual stimulus.
Swinton plays Martha, a one-time war reporter who, we discover early in the film, is dying of a terminal illness. Moore portray Ingrid, a successful novelist. The two knew one another well, perhaps were even close friends, earlier in their careers when they worked for the same magazine. But ambitions and personal lives have kept them apart until Martha seeks out Ingrid again.
Determined to die with dignity on her own terms, Martha has resolved to commit suicide by pharmaceuticals and wants Ingrid to be with her – in the room next door – first for moral support and then to take action after she has gone. Assisted suicide remains illegal in the United States, and so this extraordinary request has profound ethical, legal, and emotional implications for Ingrid. The Room Next Door explores the steps that each of these women take together and separately to fulfill Martha’s wish.
Almodóvar, who directed and also co-wrote the screenplay, has established a well-deserved reputation for bringing exceptional performances out of his casts, especially the women. With The Room Next Door, he has a great start with two such dynamic actresses. Swinton and Moore fully embody their characters, and their numerous dialogues (which comprise much of the film) transfix the viewers despite the dark topic and the word-heavy script. John Turturro is also quite good in a largely-ancillary role, which feels intended to open up the story more than anything else. The film is further burnished by the exquisite cinematography of Eduard Grau.
Nevertheless, this story and its structure feels more like a play than a movie, and requires close attention by its viewers to the seriousness of its subject matter. Although I was moved by the performances and the courageous handling of suicide, The Room Next Door feels a little thin as cinema. Almodóvar has done better in his film work when he stimulates the eyes as well as the mind.
