The Room Next Door is the latest film from Pedro Almodóvar and his first English language film. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Golden Lion award, a first for a movie from Spain. In Almodóvar’s new film, you follow Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in a film about life and death. Swinton plays Martha, a woman approaching the end of their life. Martha wants her friend Ingrid (Moore) to be with her in those final moments. I won’t give much else away about the film because it’s best to experience it on your own.

I was fascinated as always with Almodóvar’s use of colors and balance in all of his scenes. A film like The Room Next Door is very dialogue heavy and the use of vibrant colors and beautiful framing really makes it feel more alive. The conversations each character has with each other is its own philosophical debate and leaves you thinking. There’s so many of those conversations that are leaving you wanting to hear more. Almodóvar crafts a movie that questions existence, life, love, death, and most importantly, happiness. In true fashion with Almodóvar, the answer is never simple or in your face, but the questions poised in the film linger with you.

Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore bounce off one another throughout the film. It showcases just how incredible it is to have two seasoned actors to build the emotional payoff within the film. In The Room Next Door, the two offer a very complex and heartfelt performance. Swinton plays the role of the war journalist who seems to be nonchalant about death. Julia Moore is the writer who apparently has been morbidly afraid of the idea of death for as long as she can remember. The juxtaposition between both of them and the middle ground they try to meet at is so fascinating to watch. At times, the film feels more like an experience and meditation of sorts.

I found myself really enjoying this film and feeling a sense of wonder by the end. Almodóvar continues to poise questions that aren’t addressed in films as much. Swinton and Moore are both delivering amazing and riveting performances throughout. A film that mainly revolves around these two talking in a room together could only work if there’s enough passion behind and in front of the camera. The Room Next Door luckily has every artist involved firing from all cylinders, resulting in a poignant film that leaves you reflecting on life’s true questions.