Current:Home > FinanceJulianne Moore confronts euthanasia in 'profound' new film 'Room Next Door'-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Julianne Moore confronts euthanasia in 'profound' new film 'Room Next Door'
View Date:2024-12-23 23:18:49
NEW YORK – Tilda Swinton is ready to talk about death.
In “The Room Next Door,” which premiered Friday at New York Film Festival, the actress plays an ex-war correspondent named Martha who decides to end her life after exhausting her treatment options for terminal cancer. Eager to live out her final days pain-free and mentally sound, she purchases a black-market euthanasia drug online and calls up her former colleague, Ingrid (Julianne Moore), whom she requests to be present in an adjacent bedroom when she dies.
But Ingrid is petrified of dying and tries to convince Martha there is still plenty worth living for. So, the longtime friends hole up in a sumptuous vacation rental in upstate New York, where they relax and hash out life’s big questions.
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
When you have old pals, “you can go straight to the important stuff,” Swinton, 63, told journalists during a post-screening Q&A. “You don’t need to even bother about all that, ‘What did you do last week?’ or ‘What about that affair that only lasted a month?’ It’s very rare we see a relationship like this between two women on screen, but we do have these relationships and we rely on them.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The vibrant new drama is directed by Spanish filmmaking icon Pedro Almodóvar, and adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s 2020 novel “What Are You Going Through.” Moore, 63, got metaphysical as she explained why she connected with the material.
“The human condition is sometimes solipsistic: You don’t know if you exist,” she said. “You’re always like, ‘Could I be imagining all of this? Am I completely alone?’ And the only way you know that you’re not alone is when someone else is witnessing you. That’s what’s so profound about this film: all these people gathered together to make (a movie), to prove that we lived.”
For Ingrid, the prospect of accompanying Martha during her last few weeks “is a great adventure,” Almodóvar added. He cast Moore because she is an empathetic listener, and sought out Swinton because she looks as if she’s from “another dimension.” (Of her bone structure, he joked, “I’m so envious!”)
“It was perfect for this woman (Martha) who can talk about war, can talk about death, can talk about loneliness, can talk about everything that she is losing with this illness,” Almodóvar said. “But always with a kind of dignity. She’s celebrating” the life she had.
“The Room Next Door” won best picture at Venice Film Festival last month and will be released in New York and Los Angeles theaters on Dec. 20. Swinton and Moore are back in the hunt for their second Oscars with the film, after their respective wins for 2007’s “Michael Clayton” and 2014’s “Still Alice.”
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul stirs debate: Is this a legitimate fight?
- Where are the whales? Scientists find clues thousands of miles away
- Maria Menounos and Husband Keven Undergaro Reveal Sex of Baby
- The Lip Gloss Cheek Makeup Trend Is the Easiest Way to Elevate Your Blush Game
- NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison dies at 86
- A daunting recovery begins in the South and Midwest after tornadoes kill at least 32
- Ariana Madix Appears to React to Joke About Tom Sandoval at White House Correspondents' Dinner
- Everything to Know About Xeomin, the Trendy Botox Alternative
- Michael Grimm, former House member convicted of tax fraud, is paralyzed in fall from horse
- Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse Step Out for Rare Date Night at 2023 Met Gala
Ranking
- Denzel Washington Will Star in Black Panther 3 Before Retirement
- How Karl Lagerfeld Became Master of the Celebrity Fashion Universe
- California is still at risk of flooding. Maybe rivers just need some space
- Here's How James Corden Ended His Late Late Show Run—With Help From Harry Styles
- Could trad wives, influencers have sparked the red wave among female voters?
- Haley Lu Richardson Checks In on Her White Lotus Character's Possible Fate
- Charlotte Tilbury's Limited-Time Sale Has Deals on Flawless Filter, Pillow Talk, Contour Wands & More
- Kendall Jenner Skipped the Pants for Must-See Met Gala 2023 Look
Recommendation
-
FBI raids New York City apartment of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, reports say
-
How Gigi Hadid Is Honoring Karl Lagerfeld at Met Gala 2023
-
California is still at risk of flooding. Maybe rivers just need some space
-
Why deforestation means less rain in tropical forests
-
The Office's Kate Flannery Defends John Krasinski's Sexiest Man Alive Win
-
25 Nordstrom Rack Mother's Day Gifts Under $25: Kate Spade, Frye, Philosophy, Clinique, and More
-
Ryan Seacrest Reacts to Mark Consuelos’ First Week on Live With Kelly & Mark
-
Vanessa Hudgens' Met Gala 2023 Look Is Proof She's Got Her Head in the Fashion Game