Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature, “The Room Next Door,” is a testament to his unique cinematic voice, and according to Tilda Swinton, he writes in a language all his own. “He writes in Pedro language, and here he is making another film in another version of Pedro language, which just happens to sound a little bit like English,” Swinton notes.
Set in New York, the film stars Swinton as Martha, a terminally ill woman who decides to end her life on her terms. She reconnects with her friend Ingrid, played by Julianne Moore, and persuades her to stay and keep her company in her final days.
Beyond its narrative, Swinton underscores the film’s deeper message about autonomy in life and death. She shares a personal anecdote, reflecting on her own experience with a friend who sought her support in a similar situation. “In my own life I had the great good fortune to be asked by someone in Martha’s position to be his Ingrid,” Swinton reveals.
Her role brought personal challenges, as she relates to the film’s intimate portrayal of witnessing a loved one’s end-of-life choice. “So many of us have been in the situation Julianne Moore’s character finds herself in, being asked to be the witness of someone who is dying. Whether that wanting to orchestrate their own dismount or not, to be in that position to be a witness is something that I’ve been privileged to experience many times in my life since I was quite young,” she shares.
Swinton hopes the film will resonate with audiences who have experienced the journey of terminal illness. “It’s a really beautiful poem to a possibility of an attitude. I think Martha’s attitude to her own living is really inspiring. I would like to think that this is a really generous proposal and that it might inspire people to just know that it’s possible to face their own death with dignity, which is really what we’re talking about.”
Discussing the broader implications, Swinton touches on the topic of assisted suicide. “There are many countries in the world where it is not criminal to assist somebody’s active will to orchestrate their own dying. And in the United States, there are 10 states where it is not criminal, where it’s possible for two doctors to assist in the active will of a patient to take charge of their own dying. And New York State, which is where our film is set, is not one of those 10 states. And there are all sorts of people, very wise and very compassionate people, very educated and very enlightened people, in my view, who are actively campaigning to broaden this acceptance.”
Reflecting on her collaboration with Almodóvar, Swinton notes his distinct and fast-paced filmmaking style. “I’d had a taste of it with the short film, ‘The Human Voice.’ We made it in the middle of COVID. We shot it in nine days. Super, super fast… And I thought that Pedro was working very fast because it was a short film and because we were in the middle of COVID. No, no, that is the way Pedro works. I now discover super, super fast two takes, if you’re lucky.”
Despite the brisk pace, Swinton finds comfort in Almodóvar’s familiar creative environment. “It really helps always when you know the work of a filmmaker as well as it’s possible to know Pedro’s work. I’ve known it since I was a student, and I’ve loved it always. It’s like a country. I love to go to the world of Almodóvar and it’s not Spain, it’s somewhere else. It’s his environment. So, stepping into the frame of a filmmaker who creates that environment is always a bit of a trip.”
The film’s reception at the Venice Film Festival, marked by an 18-and-a-half minute standing ovation, left Swinton and the team in awe. “It’s still a bit of a shock to us. When you’re in an audience, that’s the first indication of whether the souffle has risen or not. Apparently, 18-and-a-half minutes is a record when you’re standing next to Pedro Almodóvar and you know that that is 18-and-a-half minutes of people really lovingly appreciating him. It pretty much doesn’t get much better than that.”
Regarding potential accolades, Swinton remains grounded. “Not mine. To be honest, I’m ignorant really, of that in particular. I have other things on my mind. That’s like the weather. It’s like saying, do you have the weather in three months on your mind? Well, no. Let’s wait and see. Let’s keep it real. Let’s keep it today.”