The Room Next Door; Almodóvar’s first English Feature

Any fan of Almodóvar will enjoy the hallmark trappings of his craft within this story — color, exposition, composition, socially inappropriate humour and fascination with death and disease from the dignified position.

However — because of course — the script feels as if it thinks in Spanish and speaks in English. The characters don’t seem to have distinct enough voices, which leads to an odd stilted effect in the dialogue of the lead actresses. Or maybe some other process brought about that awkwardness, perhaps I can’t tell.

Either way, this is a very passionate and well-fitting part of his filmography. Amongst the current canon of film, it sits out of position. Almodóvar is a master of the form, and it’s way too early to say why this felt awkward, as he has many more English language films to go before a verdict can be reached.