Ingrid and Martha, two friends
Pedro Almodòvar's “The Room Next Door” takes place far away from hospitals, although – or precisely because – it is about dying.
By Renate Mumelter
Sleeping in the next room when a person is approaching death is actually a given. But there are many people who are unable to face this challenge. Death is a taboo.
Sleeping in the next room and knowing that a sick person wants to escape life is something else. This requires generosity and courage.
Pedro Almodòvar's “The Room Next Door” tells the story. It's about people's personal freedom, about their right not to let the illness decide when the end is near, but to keep the reins in their own hands, he says. A legitimate wish.
Two women
The writer Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and the war reporter Martha (Tilda Swinton) are friends. They haven't seen each other for years because of work and quickly meet by chance.
Ingrid is currently presenting her autofictional novel “Sudden Death,” with which she attempts to overcome her fear of the subject. Martha is terminally ill and wants to decide for herself when the time comes. She asks Ingrid to accompany her. The women retreat to a house in the middle of the forest. It's quiet there. Martha experienced the birdsong as music and enjoyed it.
There is no action in this film, and this is criticized in various comment columns on the Internet. There is also talk of “nonsense” or “quark”. The expectations were probably different. The film reviews range from high praise to more reserved assessments. There was also the Golden Lion of Venice.
So there are mixed reactions, but death is simply death, a departure or a transition. “Slowly his soul withered away as he heard the snow falling softly across the universe, falling softly down to the last like the approach of their hour upon all the living and the dead,” James Joyce is quoted in the film. When Martha dies, snow also falls.
Some accuse Almodòvar of aestheticizing and trivializing death in this film. What makes the film special is this sense of being one with nature and staying with yourself. It is symbolized in the image of Martha putting on make-up and dressing beautifully before dying. A worthy exit.
Silent films on Monday
Film projectionist Buster lives in a quiet small town and loves a girl from the neighborhood. However, he also has a devious, physically superior rival. While working, he falls asleep and dreams himself into the role of the master detective “Sherlock Jr.” There is a lot of action with hard stunts in this silent film from 1925, so much action that Keaton even broke his neck in the process, as many did would emerge years later.
Buster Keaton (1895-1966) is considered one of the greats of silent film. He is often unfairly overshadowed by Charlie Chaplin.
Keaton came from a vaudeville background and difficult family circumstances. Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) also grew up with vaudeville.
On Monday, the film club is offering the legendary directors in a comparison package. After Keaton's “Sherlock Jr.”, Chaplin's “The Kid” (1921), in which a tramp (Chaplin) meets an orphan boy (Jackie Coogan), “is a picture with a smile – and maybe a tear,” explains the first subtitle .
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