It seems like Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore could have talked endlessly about the genius of Pedro Almodóvar.
The Spanish, who created films like Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All about my motherAND Returnwill see the world premiere of his first English-language feature film at the 81st Venice Film Festival, titled The room next door.
His film, an adaptation of the novel by Sigrid Nunez What are you going through?follows best-selling author Ingrid (Moore) and Martha (Swinton) as they rekindle their friendship after losing touch. As they delve into memories, anecdotes, art and films, Martha, who is battling terminal cervical cancer, wants to die with dignity and asks Ingrid to be in the next room when she takes a euthanasia pill.
“I'm not personally afraid of death and I never have been,” Swinton said at the film's press conference at the Venice Film Festival on Monday afternoon. “I know we stop. And I think the whole journey of accepting death can be a long one for some people, for some reason and with certain experiences in my life, it came pretty early… One of the things this film is a portrait of is self-determination, someone who decides to take their life, their living and their dying into their own hands.
“I think this film is a triumph,” he continued.
Moore was certain that this film was also a celebration of love and friendship, as well as a reminder of humanity's need to come to terms with the reality of death. She took the opportunity to sing Almodóvar's praises and touch on her personal relationship with Swinton, and how female friendship, especially between older women, is not equally represented in cinema.
The star began: “I think what's so compelling about this film and Pedro's take on this relationship is that not only do we have a mother-daughter story, which we actually see a lot in literature and film, but we very rarely see a story of female friendship, and particularly of older friends… I don't know if there's another director in the world who would do that.”
She went on to explain that the portrayal of Martha and Ingrid in Almodóvar's film is extremely profound. “Of course, we have romantic relationships, we have family relationships. But the importance of those cannot be overstated. I mean, they are really, really extraordinary. And the fact that he chose to portray that relationship, to elevate it, to show us the love story that is, I think, is really extraordinary, and we felt it was special for us too, for me and Tilda.”
Swinton also praised the 74-year-old's directorial skills, explaining that she had long ago told Almodóvar that she would do anything to work with him: “One day, when I was in the same place as him, I said to him, 'Listen, I'll learn Spanish for you. I don't care.'”
“He continued to be the master who always works to be there for this film. To feel the freshness, the rigor and the absolute discipline of him is impressive, and I still feel like a student watching his first film.”
Almodóvar was equally complimentary of his two leading actresses. “They understood exactly the tone I wanted to give to this story,” he told the packed press conference. “I was really, really, very lucky, because there are a lot of subjects in this film, but the main thing in the film is just seeing the festival they give, Tilda and Julianne together… Two wonderful actresses.”
The room next door will have its world premiere on Monday night at the Venice International Film Festival and its U.S. premiere as a highlight of the 2024 New York Film Festival on October 4.