Meditations on grief and friendship in Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘The Room Next Door’

Admittedly, the acting in the flashbacks felt rushed and subpar. This imbues the montage with a sense of unreality—viewers feel that they are being ‘told’ a story instead of being ‘shown’ it. Martha compresses her complex past into a film strip that she examines at will. It becomes a running issue throughout the movie, perhaps because the film was originally written in Spanish. A literal translation misses some of the linguistic and cultural nuances in each word. 

But in a way, that adds to the gravity of Martha’s illness. The past becomes one-dimensional, edges rounded off with how often she’s ruminated over her struggles. Swinton imbues her role of Martha with signature poise, delivering her lines in a matter-of-fact way that disguises the deep feelings beneath each word.

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As a result of her struggles, Martha has obtained euthanasia pills and plans to take her own life before the next round of treatments begins. Ingrid reacts with the expected level of dismay, but Martha explains that this is how she wants to go. “I don’t want to suffer and suffer until my last breath,” she expresses. “You can’t be self-possessed if you’re in agony.” 

The movie’s name soon reveals its full meaning. Martha plans to go on a final vacation with Ingrid, with Ingrid staying in the room next door. Each morning, she will know that Martha has not taken her life if the door to her room is open.

Ingrid is struck by Martha’s detached, clinical approach to death, constantly asking her if she wants to proceed with this. But Martha, who has never truly left the battlefield of her journalist days, sees this as another war. “Cancer is seen as a fight between patient and disease, good and evil,” she says. “If you lose, perhaps you didn’t fight hard enough. But people should see this as my way of fighting.” 

Looking past her initial reservations, Ingrid helps Martha move into the vacation home. Aside from the physical pain, Martha describes her loss of interest in daily activities, from listening to music to reading books. Nonetheless, Ingrid wants to make the most of the time left with her friend. All the while, she lives in anticipatory fear, at least until she sees Martha’s bedroom door open each morning. 

Despite the bleakness of the subject material, Almodovar creates a dreamlike atmosphere in which the two women coexist. From the bold colours of their clothing to the playful furniture pieces and artwork on the wall, the eye-catching atmosphere infuses each interaction with a surreal edge. Moore took on her role well, exploring what it means to show up for the people we care about, even if their decisions misalign with conventional life paths.

Yet for all of the beauty in the film, one is still left with the feeling that much was left to be explored. The topics of euthanasia, cancer, and death are not new. But the space for that discussion was left more cavernous than when Almodóvar entered it. This leaves one to ponder the intricacies of translation: bringing the dialogue in a book to the stage, and carrying it over from Spanish to English. It may also have been more believable to ease Ingrid and Martha more seamlessly into a friendship.

Their relationship is at the core of this film, with many viewers speculating whether their bond was purely platonic. Exploring this grey area, teasing out its complexities, could have added more impact to the intimacy they cultivate while in the vacation home.

Nonetheless, the true value of the film lies in that gap between what viewers know will happen and when it does. With a touch of comedy, The Room Next Door still makes for an entertaining and visually appealing experience. It ultimately tasks viewers with a responsibility: to find brightness and meaning amid our brief, mundane lives, appreciating the people with whom we share such experiences. 

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