The Room Next Door Parent Guide

Old friends Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) have drifted apart over the years, but when Ingrid hears that Martha has terminal cervical cancer, she pays her a visit in the hospital. The two women pick up where they left off, reminiscing about their careers and personal lives, and briefly discussing Martha’s prognosis.

Martha has been participating in an experimental research study but when it’s apparent that her cancer has not responded, she decides to take her fate into her own hands. She obtains a suicide pill from the dark web and decides to kill herself before pain and the indignity of terminal illness overwhelm her. (“Cancer can’t get me if I get it first,” she says.) There’s just one catch: Martha doesn’t want to die alone. She asks Ingrid, not to assist with her death, but to be in the next room when she dies…

If you think The Room Next Door is a movie-with-a-message, you’d be right. This film is a call to legalize euthanasia, with a side theme critiquing the scorched earth approach involved in some cancer treatment protocols. If you’re looking for nuance, subtlety, or a careful examination of the ethical and moral issues involved, you won’t find it here.

To be honest, The Room Next Door is a profoundly disappointing movie. The lack of subtlety is only the most apparent problem. The dialogue is the other glaring issue - characters in this film don’t converse like normal people, they declaim or make witty observations or muse poetically about nature. So often, this production feels like a stage play poorly transported to film. What it never feels is real.

The movie’s failures are mystifying in light of its exceptional cast. Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton both give emotionally authentic performances, embodying the affection of long friendships and the maturity that comes from a life of experiences, good and bad. Given their undoubted talent, I must lay the film’s failures at the feet of director Pedro Almodóvar who is certainly capable of better work.

If you’re still interested in the film, you can be assured that the Restricted rating is fair. There’s little on-screen violence or drug use: Martha’s suicide is more thematic than graphic. Profanity is limited, but three sexual expletives depress its grade and earn the R-rating. This isn’t a movie for teens – and I’m not entirely sure if most adults will want to watch it. I’ve never understood the appeal of cancer movies, be they romantic weepies or depressing clinical tales. The Room Next Door is not the type of film that will change my mind.