Ben Pawlowski
LEGENDARY Spanish director Pedro Almodovar received an ‘unprecedented’ 17-minute standing ovation on Monday evening at the premiere of his new film, The Room Next Door.
Dressed in a characteristically flamboyant pink suit, Almodovar was joined by his new muses Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, who star in the film as two old friends who seek to reconnect as Swinton’s character, Martha, a former war correspondent, dies of cervical cancer.
In typically melodramatic fashion, Almodovar’s script focuses on the nuances and intricacies of death and, controversially, euthanasia, for which the Spanish auteur has publicly stated his support.
The trio presented their new movie at the 81st edition of the prestigious Venice Film Festival, where they will vie to claim the Golden Lion, the highest prize given to a film premiered at the cinematographic bonanza and previously handed to flicks including The Shape of Water, Roma, Joker and Brokeback Mountain.
After the film, Almodovar kissed the cheeks of both Swinton and Moore and lifted their arms high up into the air as the astounded audience offered a long standing ovation, a sure sign that the film was a hit with viewers.
The Room Next Door is Almodovar’s 23rd film, but his English-language full-length debut, based on the novel What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez.
The 106-minute-long movie also stars John Turturro and Alessandro Nivola, and will be released to audiences in Spain on October 18 this year.
Almodovar’s films are known for their melodramatic themes, humour, glossy decor, popular culture references, complex narratives and focus on LGBTQI+ issues, gaining him a cult following amongst movie fanatics.The Spaniard has won two Academy awards for his films All About My Mother (1999) and Talk to Her (2002).
