Last Rites!
Death is hard. No one likes to die or be sick. Feel the pain of a person in pain in The Room Next Door. Settle in for quite the ride as Sony Pictures Classics and Mongrel Media present a serious look at a serious subject that sooner or later everyone faces. Check in to see this first class drama at select Cineplex Cinemas and Landmark Theatres across B.C.
Friends matter. So does family. When your family deserts you or you never were close to your clan then your pals take on greater relevance. This at least is the dilemma facing elderly Martha. Accomplished actress Tilda Swinton rises to the occasion and then some as a woman with major health concerns. Not happy with the results of her cancer diagnosis and given some unhealthy choices to get better she seeks out advice from her friends.
Thanks to a chance encounter old time pal Ingrid reappears from out of nowhere. Over 40 dynamo Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights) does her best to soothe Ingrid’s pain but not before long she must face some demons her own.
The Room Next Door is all about friendship. And the fine line between living and dying. Trust notable Spanish director Pedro Almodovar to again take on a harsh subject and embrace all sides of the issue. Above all else casting matters immensely with this sort of story. It’s hard to think of any two actors who could connect as well with each other and audiences. Both Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore pull off tremendous performances that are heartfelt and sincere. And highly relevant.
Impressive on all counts Almodóvar again delivers another tour de force movie. Oh, and the icing is on the cake comes with the inclusion of John Turturro as a go-between friend.
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By Shirl Hollenberg
