Movies Steeped in Sadness

Kathleen Norris on MOVIES STEEPED IN SADNESS

I’ve recently watched three films that are steeped in sadness, but offer a valuable take on life, death, and the world we live in. Spanish director’s Pedro Almodóvar’s first film in English, The Room Next Door (above), gives us Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) as long-time friends who’ve grown distant over the years but reunite when Ingrid learns that Martha is undergoing treatment for cancer. I was glad to find a superb script and also grateful that Almodóvar toned down his customary frenetic tone and gave these two fine actors room to have passionate conversations, or simply sit together in silence.

As someone who has been with family members and friends undergoing chemotherapy the conversations in this film rang true, about regretting the mental diminishment caused by the chemo, deciding whether or not to continue treatment, and desiring to face death on your own terms. One scene, in which Martha wakes after being sedated and says to Ingrid, in a tone of wonder, “you’re still here,” had me gasping. That happened to me once when I was with a dear friend in a cancer ward, and had realized that sitting there while she was sleeping was exactly where I needed to be.