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SALT LAKE CITY — The right to die with dignity is still illegal in most states. The Utah Legislature has looked into it and decided to kick it down the road. Only a handful of states have laws protecting end-of-life choices (ten as of this writing). New York, where this film takes place, is not one of them.
To be clear, this is not a documentary, but a feature film by famed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, based on the Sigrid Nunez novel “What Are You Going Through.”
He hoped to create an atmosphere for discussion around this difficult decision with the help of equally acclaimed actresses Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, both Oscar-winning performers.
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Ingrid (Moore) is a well-known author who has dabbled with her own fear of dying in a number of her books. At a recent book signing, she runs into an acquaintance that tells her a dear friend of theirs, Martha (Tilda Swinton), is in the hospital fighting late-stage cervical cancer.
Ingrid and Martha used to work together at a prestigious news magazine when they had both arrived in New York City years earlier. They worked, they partied, even shared a lover, Damian (John Turturro), just not at the same time. Martha went on to become a war correspondent, witnessing many horrific events, while Ingrid stayed in and around the Big Apple perfecting her writing skills.
So now they come together in this difficult setting, where Martha insists that she wants to “go out” on her own terms, while Ingrid believes her dear friend should fight, try all the experimental drugs her doctors have recommended and live life as long as she can.
Ingrid tries to guilt her a bit by bringing up Martha’s estranged daughter Michelle, but since they haven’t been close in years, that ploy isn’t going to work.
Finally, Martha just comes right out and asks for Ingrid’s help. She has found and purchased a euthanasia pill on the dark web, has rented a lovely, peaceful home in upstate New York for a month, with the idea that the two would simply go on vacation. Martha’s plan, when she is ready, will be to simply take the pill, close the door to her bedroom and that will signal to Ingrid who is in “the room next door” that the deed is done.
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No other information will be provided, as plausible deniability is the best way to protect Ingrid, and initially Ingrid wants nothing to do with this plan, but eventually concedes to help her dear friend.
So the crux of this engaging, heartfelt story is the deep, meaningful conversations they have at this serene cabin in the woods, where they share the stories neither of them have ever told before. By doing so, all the air is cleared for Martha’s determined departure, but will she really go through with it? And what happens if Ingrid is grilled by the police as to her liability in this proposed illegal act?
Obviously, not a ha-ha kind of movie, but one filled with down-to-earth sentiment that gets to the essence of how we will each eventually leave this so-called mortal coil. Choice or chance? It definitely gives one something to think about—and it’s expertly provided by terrific, effortless performances.
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR (A-) (PG-13) for thematic content, strong language and some sexual references. Starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro, Alessandro Nivola And Alex Høgh Andersen. Co-written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar (“Pain and Glory” “All About My Mother”) – filmed in Madrid and New York City. Running time: 107 minutes.
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