The Room Next Door (2024)

Pedro Almodóvar’s first feature in English looks like a paint catalog and, for stretches, feels about that deep. Julianne Moore plays Ingrid, a successful author who reconnects with Martha, an old friend from their magazine days, after hearing Martha is facing a terminal illness. Tilda Swinton plays Martha, and she is the reason to watch: dry, sharp and fiercely herself, sometimes inside one sentence. The two trade stories about old loves and Martha’s estranged daughter, and then Martha asks Ingrid to stay with her at a rented house in the country, in the room next door. The colors are gorgeous and the friendship feels real. Still, for a film this full of feeling, some scenes play oddly distant, and a few critics called it thin or emotionally empty. It sits at 81% with critics. A 6.9 because Swinton is extraordinary and the film around her is thinner than it looks. $62.14 says you finally plan that visit with the friend you keep meaning to see.

What works: Tilda Swinton gives a towering performance, Julianne Moore is a generous partner, and the friendship between them feels lived in.

What doesn’t: For a film this full of feeling, some stretches play oddly distant, and the script can feel thin underneath all that color.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has sat with a sick friend and knows how much of it is simply keeping them company.