Displaying items by tag: Pedro Almodovar

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR

Spain/US, 2024, 107 minutes, Colour.

Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro, Alessandro Nivola, Juan Diego Botto, Roel Arevalo, Victoria Wingo, Alex Hogh Andersen.

Directed by Pedro Almodovar.

After directing two films in English, including The Human Voice with Tilda Swinton, Spain’s most celebrated contemporary director, Pedro Almodovar, has now made his first full-length film in English. It is based on an American novel by Sigrid Nunzi. It won the Golden Lion in Venice, 2024, for Best Film.

One of the difficulties for Almodovar aficionados in watching the film is adapting to hearing English rather than Spanish. There were some complaints that the English dialogue sounded somewhat stilted. Whatever the complaints, the important focus is on the actresses who deliver the lines and the intensity of their performances.

The film opens with Ingrid, Julianne Moore, signing copies of her new book, learning that her friend from the past, Martha, Tilda Swinton, is in hospital for treatment for terminal cancer. At first the film works as two friends meeting again, reminiscing about the past, especially for flashbacks to Martha’s teenage years, her encounter with Fred and his experience of the Vietnam war, the birth of their daughter, Michelle.

So far, so expected in a portrait of strong female friendship.

However, the narrative then veers into medical, ethical, moral and legal questions about assisted suicide.

Audiences will have a range of views on this topic. One might note that if all there is in this life on earth, then why cannot individuals take their lives at the time they decide. For those who believe in the afterlife, there are many moral questions. And, there is the status of assisted suicide and euthanasia in different parts of the world in terms of legislation and criminality.

All these issues come to the fore but always in the context of the friendship. Martha is a strong-minded woman, mistakes in the past, but finding her fulfilment in life as a war correspondent, celebrated, but completely alienated from her daughter, her daughter always wanting to know more about her father, Martha unable to fulfil her daughter’s wishes. With some failure in the experimental treatment she is undergoing, she decides that she will end her life, her own decision, her own time, buying a euthanasia pill on the dark web, a woman who wants to end her life with control and dignity.

And, the room next door? Martha rents spectacular mention in upper New York state, asking Ingrid to be with her, not participating in the suicide itself, but assisting in making the last days of Martha’s life days of content. Ingrid is quite emotional, hesitant at first, fearful of death itself, going along with Martha’s plans, but needing some kind of outlet, a sympathetic trainer at the gym, the reappearance of an old flame who has strong views on everything, John Turturro.

And, there is the plan for dealing with the police, denying knowledge, set answers, legal support. There is an unsympathetic police investigation by Alessandro Nivola.

Almodovar wants the audience to appreciate the issue, the emotions, the moral issues, personal responsibility and independence.

However, for the average audience, while this important issue is dramatised on screen, the setting is affluent, very affluent, American society, healthcare and drugs available, the comforts of wealth and a mansion to die in, not the ordinary experience of most moviegoers, an important issue but in another world of which they will never be part.

And, as expected, the final scenes will leave the audience confirmed in beliefs about assisted suicide or challenged ethically, legally, morally.

1. The films of Pedro Almodovar, his Spanish sensibility, his films over the decades, continuing his themes, the focus on women, the focus on sexuality, homosexuality, the Catholic church, religion? Now in English language, in the US context? And the theme of death?
2. The New York settings, the book signing, apartments, hospitals, restaurants? The New York State countryside, Woodstock, the mansion, interiors, the gym, restaurants? The musical score?
3. The first part of the film and the friendship between the two women? The strong presence of Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore? Working together? Establishing Ingrid as an author, the art world, writing for magazines, the success, apprehensions about death? Encountering stellar, the news of Martha’s illness? Visiting Martha, the past friendship, working together, Martha and her work correspondence (and the flashbacks, the dangers, with the photographer, encountering the two Carmelites), her relationship with her daughter, the flashbacks to the scenes with Fred, the Vietnam war, PSD, the night together, his leaving, marrying, the fire and his death? Martha and the alienation from a daughter, her daughters questioning about her father?
4. Martha and the flashbacks to the war, the discussions with the photographer,
5. Martha, Almodovar’s themes of sexuality, homosexuality, the two Carmelites, the relationship, the discussion about war, vows, sexuality in the context of war and destruction?
6. Her illness, the diagnosis, the medical staff, the experiments, partial success, ultimately not successful, to continue with the procedures or not? The issue of death, planning her death, the pill from the dark web, her plan?
7. Ingrid, her own story, memories of Damien, Damien and his relationship with Martha, the renewed friendship with Martha, talking, listening, sharing? The proposal about assisting at the suicide? Martha saying she had asked others, appreciating Ingrid’s apprehensions about death?
8. Ingrid, her dilemma, emotional response, values response, moral and ethical response, legal issues? Are pondering, the decision?
9. Martha, the renting of the mansion, comfortable, the plan for the room next door, Ingrid choosing the downstairs room? And packing, settling in, the time together, further reminiscences? Martha and her strong determination cop the time of her own choice, not wanting to compromise Ingrid legally, the plan for the police? Her leaving the letter for Ingrid, the letter for the police?
10. Martha, the emotional effect, coping and not, going to the gym, the sympathetic trainer, unable to hug, but her feeling hardened? The encounter with Damien, the conversations, his offer of legal help?
11. The signal for the door to be open or shut, Ingrid seeing the door shut, her grief, and discovering the wind had blown the door shut? Her going out, the time with Damien, Martha deciding that this was the time, setting everything up, going out to sit peacefully, her death?
12. Ingrid discovering her, grief, the letter, contacting Damien, the interrogation by the police, the officer and his faith and strip perspective, not believing Ingrid? The lawyer coming, planning to file a complaint against the officer?
13. Damien, the past, relationships, sexuality, with Martha, with Ingrid, his talk, no questions, his philosophy, doom, the end of the world? The legal support for Ingrid?
14. Leaving Ingrid with the emotional experience, the legal experience, her own values? And the audience response, depending on their attitude towards an afterlife or no afterlife, the right to end life, emotional, legal, ethical and moral perspectives for decisions?

STRANGE WAY OF LIFE

Spain, 2023, 31 minutes, Colour.

Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal, Mona Rios, George Steane.

Directed by Pedro Almodovar.

Fans of Pedro Almodovar and audiences around the world would not have been expecting a Western from him. But, here it is, beautifully filmed in Spanish locations reminiscent of the spaghetti westerns, the recreation of the town, the sheriff and his duty, the pursuit of the killer and three guns confrontation. It was written in English, the second English language short film from Almodovar, the first being The Human Voice with Tilda Swinton. He then went on to make the full-length feature in English, The Room Next Door, with Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton.

Almodovar’s own view of his film: A queer Western, in the sense that there are two men and they love each other. It's about masculinity in a deep sense because the Western is a male genre. What I can tell you about the film is that it has a lot of the elements of the Western. It has the gunslinger, it has the ranch, it has the sheriff, but what it has that most Westerns don't have is the kind of dialogue that I don't think a Western film has ever captured between two men.

Film opens with a mood setting: The title is inspired by the Portuguese poem song by Amália Rodrigues called "Estranha forma de vida" (Strange Way of Life), released in 1959 and sung by Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso and lip-synced by actor Manu Ríos at the beginning of this short film.

The film boasts two strong leads with Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, Pedro Pascal riding into town to confront the sheriff and to save his son who has been accused of the murder of the sheriff’s sister-in-law, a woman with a bad reputation. Ethan Hawke is the sheriff.

The film has, as Almodovar indicated, quite a number of themes.

There is the variation on the western themes, the past gunfighters becoming respectable, working on the land or becoming law enforcers. In fact, the two have not met for 25 years, giving up their gunfighter past, Silver opting for the land, Jake for the law.

Then there is the issue of sexuality and sexual relationships, the flashback to the two young men in years gone by, with a number of señoritas, but then finding the attraction strong between the two of them. And Jake, breaking off the relationship. The impact of the two meeting again, Jake wary, Silver earnest, and their spending the night together and its consequences.

However, Jake is taking the law seriously, Silver leaving to go to his sons Homestead and warn him away, and Jake in pursuit.

There is the theme of the father trying to protect his son while angry and disgusted with him, giving him the chance to escape to Mexico and never come back. This involves wounding Jake but then attending him for his recovery.

In the final theme, Jake angry but convalescing, Silver reminiscing on the final words to give meaning to the film, that they could have spent a life together, especially with caring for each other.