Can Pedro Almodóvar’s Venice winner 'The Room Next Door' lead to legislative change on euthanasia?

Pedro Almodóvar isn't afraid of controversy.

Whether it’s frank discussions on sexuality, relationships or exploring the lives of families and their unconventional permutations, the Spanish filmmaker has a knack for embracing sensitive topics in all their complexities and bringing them to the screen.

His latest film, The Room Next Door, just won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and it once again showed an engaged director who isn’t shy when it comes to exposing human nature and exploring yet another “taboo” subject: euthanasia.

Adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s 2020 novel “What Are You Going Through”, the film follows two friends, Martha (Tilda Swinton) and Ingrid (Julianne Moore), who rekindle their friendship. It turns out that Martha has been diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer, and asks Ingrid for a favour: to be in the titular room when she takes a euthanasia pill and ends her life with dignity.

While not on par with some of the director’s previous gems like All About My Mother, The Skin I Live In or Talk To Her, due to its occasionally overly literal script and melodramatic flashbacks which dilute some of the emotional authenticity in the first half, The Room Next Door remains a touching tale of female friendship. More than that, it becomes a fascinating exploration into the western world’s shortcomings when it comes to confronting death.

As the film puts it, humans tend to find "lots of ways to live life inside a tragedy".

By portraying the final weeks of a woman choosing to end her life on her own terms, Almodóvar creates a humanist film that’s less about death and more about the way we look at life.

While many choose to label it “Pedro Almodóvar’s euthanasia film”, The Room Next Door shouldn’t be dismissed as such, as it is without a doubt a celebration of life. This is seen through Julianne Moore’s character, who wrestles with the toll of supporting her friend’s decision, and how she chooses to confront her fears knowing she will be the one left behind. Still, the director candidly stated on the day of the film’s premiere that his movie was “in favour of euthanasia.”

“It is something we admire about the character of Tilda, she decides that getting rid of cancer can only be done by making the decision she actually makes,” stated the director. “‘If I get there before, cancer will not win over me,’ she says. And so she finds a way to reach her objective with the help of her friend, but they have to behave as if they were criminals.”

“There should be the possibility to have euthanasia all over the world,” he added, to applause from reporters at the press conference. “It should be regulated and a doctor should be allowed to help his patient.”

The director’s comments reminded us that his home country of Spain legalized euthanasia in 2021, and that currently, euthanasia is legal in only three other countries in Europe: Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - with the law in Portugal yet in force and awaiting regulation.

Debates around the legalisation of assisted suicide remain contentious in many European countries, and the question is: Can a film like The Room Next Door continue to generate enough meaningful discussions about euthanasia – whether the ethics of personal choice or the emotional toll on families – which could lead to further progress regarding laws?

It’s a lot to put on one film’s shoulders, but it wouldn’t be the first time.

Twenty years ago, Alejandro Amenábar’s The Sea Inside won both Venice’s Grand Jury Prize and Best Actor for Javier Bardem, who played the real-life character of Ramón Sampedro, who was left quadriplegic after a diving accident. The film detailed his nearly three decade campaign in support of euthanasia and the right to end his life. The huge media impact that the film had when it opened in Spain made it possible for groups supporting - and opposing - euthanasia to express their positions publicly. It forced the country's government to make a statement. Granted, a change in legislation came several years later, but the discussion around the film finally reached the Spanish parliament.

Since then, countless films have tackled the topic of euthanasia and assisted suicide – from Olias Barco’s Kill Me Please, Simon Curtis’ A Short Stay in Switzerland, to Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell And The Butterfly. More recent films like Stéphane Brizé’s A Few Hours of Spring and Fran?ois Ozon’s Everything Went Fine managed to put the euthanasia debate back in the public eye in France, with president Macron announcing a bill allowing ‘aid in dying’ under strict conditions earlier this year.

Can The Room Next Door go further?

Considering its high-profile cast and director, the fact that it won Venice’s top prize, and is Almodóvar’s feature first film in the English language, meaning that people who dismiss a cinemagoing experience because of subtitles won’t face that ‘problem’, an optimist might be tempted to say ‘yes’.

The Room Next Door could very well have the potential to instigate meaningful change, like any work of fiction can have an impact on real life.

Granted, the film should not be reduced to a political pawn and its philosophical debates around assisted suicide needn’t overshadow the artistry on show. However, in cocooning these thought-provoking ideas within the intimacy of human emotions regarding fear, regret and friendship, Almodóvar reminds us not only of movies’ power as “a machine that generates empathy,” as critic Roger Ebert once described it, but also how cinema can have an impact on legislation and culture.

The 1999 film Rosetta, aided by winning the Palme D’Or at Cannes, changed the law in Belgium and fresh legislation was introduced that made it illegal to pay teenage workers less than the statutory minimum wage; Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth led to California passing sweeping legislation to curb greenhouse gases; the documentaries Handful of Ash and A Girl in the River respectfully changed Kurdish laws on female genital manipulation and the long-standing laws regarding honour killings in Pakistan; 2018’s A Fantastic Woman rewrote gender identity laws in Chile.

These movies changed policies. And even if they hadn’t had such a direct contribution to legal changes, it would have been enough to spark fresh conversation, which in turn can lead to the evolution of behaviours and perspectives.

When accepting the Golden Lion, Almodóvar told the audience: "I believe that saying goodbye to this world cleanly and with dignity is a fundamental right of every human being."

"It is not a political issue, but a human issue," he added, echoing his comments at the Venice premiere: “We all have a room next door, a place where we will eventually face ourselves and our lives. My hope is that this film gives people permission to talk about that room, even if it’s a little uncomfortable.”

Cinema can and should be about escapism, but to belittle its potential for being a potential catalyst for change is to mindlessly dismiss its reach. And when a film dares to tackle thorny issues, challenge societal norms and prompt vital discussions - in this case, the right to self-determination and what it means to choose life or death - the least we can do is watch, listen, and talk about that room.

Living inside a tragedy should not be a legal obligation.

The Room Next Door premiered at the 81st Venice Film Festival and will be out in theatres later this year.