Movie Review: The Room Next Door (La habitación de al lado)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

An absolutely lovely film. 

 Pedro Almodóvar is one of my favorite filmmakers and his first feature length English language movie (though he has directed some short films in English) does not disappoint. Almodóvar is known for always bringing out the best in his actresses as well as working with the best actresses in movies. Here he works with two incredible great actresses Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. Needless to say, these two give wonderful performances here. Not only are both of them at the top of their game here but they also play off each other perfectly. You completely believe the friendship between these two and feel a deep connection whenever they share the screen. This makes it so that you grow deeply attached to both these characters as well and your heart breaks with them and you feel both their sadness and joy. Yet this movie is not simply made of big dramatic moments. It is in fact the quieter and less eventful moments that really make the film work. Almodóvar understands that when you have great actresses like these, sometimes you just want to stop and spend time with them. This is helped by smart dialogue (for a filmmaker who doesn't work much in English, the dialogue is often perfect here) that the actresses handle like the pros they are. This dialogue often takes a deep meditative look at death, while celebrating life at the same time. This manages to be a film about death that is not only heartbreaking but uplifting at the same time. The result is something incredible touching, intelligent and poetic. 

The music by Alberto Iglesias (who also did music for such Almodóvar films, The Flower of My Secret (1995), Live Flesh (1997), All About My Mother (1999), Talk to Her (2002), Bad Education (2004), Volver (2006), Broken Embraces (2009) and The Skin I Live In (2011)) is also really beautiful and captures the film's meditative feel. 

A real must watch. 

Video Link: A Tribute to PENELOPE CRUZ -Adyfilk

Movie Review: Strange Way of Life (Extraña forma de vida)

 

Note: This new short film is currently in movie theaters paired with another short film from director Pedro Almodóvar, The Human Voice (2020).

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A wonderful short film from one of the best living filmmakers.

I admit I am biased when it comes to this film, as Pedro Almodóvar is one of my favorite filmmakers and I love westerns. In this his first western, he both embraces and subverts (after all there is a homosexual romance at the heart of this film) the conventions of the genre. The result is a movie that is both purely western and an Almodóvar film. The focus of this movie is not on the gunfights or action but rather the complex relationship between the two main characters. These are two cowboys who are seeing each other for the first time in 25 years and soon find their lives once again intertwined. While the romantic tension between them is very prevalent, it is anything but a happy reunion as the circumstances revolving around their reunion is anything but happy (I dare not give away much more about the story here). This is a very dialogue heavy film and perhaps what is most impressive is just how great this dialogue is. For only this filmmaker's second film in English, his knack for great dialogue translates perfectly to this language. In fact, the dialogue here is incredibly smart and thought provoking. It is also incredibly natural and never once sounds pretentious. This great dialogue is truly enhanced by incredible performances from Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal. Both of them bring a real humanity to their roles. Despite the sheer amount of dialogue, this movie is also a pure visual treat. There are plenty of moments of great visual storytelling especially in the flashback scene. Also the visuals in this movie recall some of the all-time great westerns and Pedro Almodóvar's fondness for the genre and the great filmmakers who worked in it are obvious just for some of the very cinematic shots in this movie. This film perfectly captures the wonderful visual beauty that can be achieved in a western setting, yet the visuals always feel in service to the story. 

This is a real cinematic treat and another great example of why Pedro Almodóvar is one of the best living filmmakers. 

 

Movie Review: Parallel Mothers (Madres paralelas)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

Pedro Almodóvar is one of my favorite directors and Parallel Mothers is one of his best films. 

The basic storyline of this film sounds like it could feel a bit like a soap opera, but as you watch the movie it does not come off this way at all. The reason for this is the pure sincerity and honesty put into this movie. In other words, this movie feels completely real without a single moment that rings false. Much of the reason for this comes from the main character herself. In lesser hands this character would have simply gone through the same emotions any movie character would in the same situation with no more depth than that. However, this character deals with many conflicting emotions This is a fully fleshed out character who overcomes any melodramatic overtones of the plot and becomes a completely real person. Much of this is due not only to Almodóvar's excellent script but an incredible performance by Penélope Cruz (her 7th film with Almodóvar). Almodóvar has referred to Cruz as muse and two always bring out the absolute best in each other every time they work together. This could not be clearer than in this film as Cruz gives perhaps the finest performance of her career. This is not an easy role to play but she plays it too perfection, both capturing the broad moments and the subtle with seemingly effortless ease. Not that she is the only one in cast worth noting as the entire cast is perfect in their roles. Young Milena Smit (in only her second feature film) is incredible as Ana, a young woman who our main character meets at the hospital while pregnant, but who will come to play a much larger role in her life. Smit and Cruz share incredible chemistry with each other and really light up the screen whenever they share it. This is certainly an actress to pay attention to. Pedro Almodóvar's script is incredibly well handled. This is not a movie in which you can predict anything that is going to happen. Yet Almodóvar wisely avoids anything that would make it feel too melodramatic. Instead, everything that happens no matter how unlikely feels like the most natural thing in the world. There are times when you can almost forget you are watching a fictional movie but instead feel you are watching the lives of these two women. This is also one of Pedro Almodóvar's most political films. This too is handled masterfully. It never feels like the characters stop to sermonize to you but instead these political points are told in the most natural and unobtrusive way. They are also incredibly intelligent and will leave you with food for thought as you leave the theater. While they do deal with the political history of Spain, you don't have to be familiar with that history to be affected by the powerful message behind this movie because it speaks not only to specific political events but great human truths that are often ignored and those are universal and timeless. All of this leads to an ending image that is simply cinematic perfection. 

This may be my favorite movie of 2021 and it is certainly a must see for any other fans of one of Spain's finest directors.