39/18

They both had Julianne Moore in mind

Tale

Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, working together at the same magazine. After years of no contact, they meet again in an extreme yet strangely sweet situation. When Pedro Almodóvar sent Tilda Swinton the script, he asked her who should play Ingrid. Featured in The 7PM Project: Episode 8 September 2024 (2024). Seeing an Almodovar film in English is a bit strange.

It's beautiful, it's moving, it makes sense

This is such a typical Spanish director that the lack of Spanish (except for one brief sentence) seems to take away an essential element from the film. But even in English, Almodovar remains Almodovar, just as Woody Allen remained Woody Allen in his French film. I think this is one of the best films he has made. Not many films combine those three qualities. He seems to get closer to the purest form of filmmaking with each new film he directs.

Far from it

In this case, it is a story of two friends who both have to come to terms with death. Martha is dying of cancer and wants euthanasia, Ingrid is an old friend who is afraid of death, but nevertheless agrees to accompany Martha in her last days. That sounds like a very depressing film. I assure you: it is not. There are many more happy moments than sad ones.

His sets are, as usual, carefully designed

Martha also embraces life in her last moments, because she wants to spend them in a wonderfully luxurious villa in the forest. Almodovar once again creates a world of beauty, full of color and aesthetics. However, it is also a very moving film that shows how valuable good friendships can be and how dignity and respect are fundamental values ​​even in death. Almodovar includes many references in his film. Martha and Ingrid watch films by Buster Keaton and John Huston and go to the cinema where Rossellini's film is being shown.

The difference: Almodovar adds Spanish warmth and color

But the most obvious influence, I think, is Ingmar Bergman. Not only does the story resemble Bergman's Persona, but the whole film has a Bergmanian feel. Like many Bergman films, it relies heavily on dialogue, deals with themes like death and religion, and has a limited number of characters. Porte 2023 H264 Magnet