The Room Next Door - My IFFI experience and Movie Review

The Room Next Door is an October 2024 release, a Spanish film written and directed in English and based on the novel 'What Are You Going Through' by author Sigrid Nunez

Synopsis

Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth when they worked together in the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist, while Martha became a war reporter. Eventually, life's circumstances separated them. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.

Director - Pedro Almodóvar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLHSOFsZICk

Video embedded from YouTube

MY IFFI EXPERIENCE

This was my first movie at the IFFI, Goa. Surprisingly, in all the years I have lived in Goa, I never attended the IFFI screenings. I was offered a pass and thought, 'Why not?'

Getting the ID card was a messy situation. I went to the venue a couple of days before the opening day. There was a crowd and a lot of work going on. Funny enough, I spoke to several officials who sent me from pillar to post to get my ID, each pointing to a direction they chose like they were sending me on a fake treasure hunt. Finally, I stood at the media centre line (the same place I went to earlier, and they pointed me toward the parking lot.) This time, they sent someone with me to find the makeshift structure, where they gave out the IDs and a bag. I finally got it!

On the day of this screening, the line was long, and since it was my first time, it took a few minutes to identify the 'lay of the land,' as it were. Bags were scanned at the entrance, and my guess for the long line was that it was a Sunday late afternoon show. The doors opened 15 minutes before the start time, and the line moved fast. It was very organised, and in between, I was pulled out for a random bag check. Seats are not assigned, and one can sit anywhere you find a vacant seat. There is no national anthem or intermission during the film. I bring this up because I was trying to observe the differences between the non-IFFI films I have attended at this venue.

I sat in the middle of some people speaking a South Indian language, and they were loud and talking over me (me being short) as it seemed easier for them. I hope they were not talking about me. :-)

In the middle of the film, those around me, myself included, were disturbed by loud snoring. I guess people showed up for their afternoon naps too. The second time was louder, and the person seated two seats away from me had to be woken up. Grrr...

OVERALL SUMMARY OF THE MOVIE - SPOILER

I was pleasantly surprised that the main characters were Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton.

At the start, even though I had read the synopsis, I imagined the movie's storyline based on what I read. Scenarios like mates with adjoining rooms or some childhood memory from their past came to mind, but the story did not come close to what I had imagined.

In the movie, Martha has a terminal illness and is on some experimental drugs and immunotherapy. However, she knows she will not make it and wants to end things on her terms. Their friendship grows stronger, and Ingrid (Julianne Moore) does the most selfless thing a friend could do for her dying friend.

TICKLED MY FANCY (HIGHLIGHTS)

• It was a beautiful story about friendship and other relationships. It makes one introspect about their own lives, and you begin to wonder who would be there for you.

• The leading actors did a nice job

• Some scenes will make you smile.

• It gives an insight into the mind of a terminally ill person, and again, you begin to wonder, 'What would I do?' in such a situation.

A WORD OF CAUTION (LOWLIGHTS)

• The movie is slow-paced.

• Not to give away the story, but there is the 'elephant in the room', so to speak, which will go against people's beliefs.

My overall rating is a 5.5 out of 10.