Gorgeous, ephemeral and wispy, THE ROOM NEXT DOOR is a beautifully acted and soul-searching meditation on friendship and mortality.
Ingrid (Julianne Moore) is a bestselling author so famously afraid of death she has written a book about it. When she learns that her friend Martha (Tilda Swinton) — a former war correspondent — is ill, she reignites the friendship and the rekindled closeness between the women means Ingrid is drawn into her treatments as stories are told, secrets are revealed, and regret, redemption and mortality are discussed over tea. One day, Martha asks Ingrid for the one thing she is most hesitant to give. The way they negotiate life’s deepest choices is what makes the film so memorable. Superb performances by Swinton and Moore — who inhabit these complex, flawed and fascinating women — give the film its pounding heart, making it less about death than about the magic of life while we live it.
*OPEN CAPTIONS MONDAYThe Room Next Door showing at: January 20, 6:00 pm
The Room Next Door
Location: Salem Cinema1127 Broadway St NE, Salem, Oregon, 973013