THE ROOM NEXT DOOR -- A Solid but Lesser Work from Pedro Almodóvar

Review by Camden Ferrell

​Pedro Almodóvar has cemented himself in film history with his illustrious catalogue of movies over the last few decades. However, this year marks his first foyer into English-language cinema. The Room Next Door, based on What Are You Going Through by Sigird Nunez, marks his first film in English and had its premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival. While it doesn’t hold a candle to his better works, this movie still benefits from his dreamlike dialogue and great leading performances.
 
Once close colleagues, Ingrid and Martha’s lives went in different directions. Many years later, they meet again as one of them deals with a unique end-of-life situation. From a plot standpoint, this is relatively simple for Almodóvar, which gives the dialogue and performances a chance to take center stage and truly flourish.
 
The biggest variable with this movie is how Almodóvar’s writing would translate into English, and the results are more positive than not. While some moments feel disjointed and unnatural, it largely works. The dialogue is sharp and has a subtly ethereal and poetic quality that is evocative of his previous films. The only weakness is that there are moments throughout where the script feels like its stretched particularly thin which can often make the movie drag more than I’d like.

The clear standout of this film is its leading performances. Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton lead the film as Ingrid and Martha, respectively. They have solid chemistry throughout and handle the complex subject matter with ease like the seasoned actors we’ve known them to be. Even when the script has its shortcomings, they make up for it more times than not.
 
It wouldn’t be an Almodóvar movie without some unique visual flair, and this movie is no exception, even if it’s less accomplished than most of his movies on a visual level, there is still some great production design and cinematography to give it his signature feel. Pair this with a great score and some truly emotional and poignant moments, and you get enjoyable, albeit minor work from the auteur.
 
At the end of Almodóvar’s career, this movie will be noted for being his first English movie and not much else. While it has a lot of great qualities, it fails to live up to his best works. It’s good supplementary material to his career despite it being not particularly memorable or brilliant. It’ll satisfy his fans even if it’s a minor work by his standards.
 
The Room Next Door is in theaters December 20.
 
Rating: 3.5/5