The great Pedro Almodovar returns with his first feature length English language film. Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton star, playing old friends Ingrid and Martha, who have lost touch. The pair re-unite when news reaches Ingrid of Martha’s failing health. Martha persuades Ingrid to be in a house with her when she takes her own life.
Almodovar has made a dramatic progression from the zany chaos of his earlier work to his stately, much more serious, later output. I am a fan of both, though I generally prefer his more recent work, particularly his career peak of Pain and Glory in 2019. Swinton, especially, and Moore are reliably great and I totally bought into them being re-united friends and Ingrid’s reluctant agreement to go along with Martha’s plan. John Turturro is also terrific as as an ex of both the women but his climate change subplot feels bolted on to the main story.
In the end, despite the fine performances, a stately score by Alberto Iglesias and impeccable set design, I did not feel that any great insights or arguments were made on the euthanasia debate. In fact, some of the screenplay was a little stilted, maybe because Almodovar was not working in his native language.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10