VENICE, Italy (AP) 鈥� Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almod贸var returns to the with stars Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, Monday. 鈥淭he Room Next Door鈥� will have its world premiere on the Lido in the evening.
Though a new Almod贸var film is always an event for cinephiles, this one has special significance: It鈥檚 his English-language debut.
鈥淢y insecurity disappeared after the first table read with the actresses, with the exchange of the first indications,鈥� he wrote in his director鈥檚 statement. 鈥淭he language wasn鈥檛 going to be a problem, and not because I master English, but because of the total disposition of the whole cast to understand me and to make it easy for me to understand them.鈥�
who met in their youths at a magazine job, and whose lives took different paths. Ingrid (Moore) wrote novels. Martha (Swinton) became a war reporter. And now after years apart, they meet again in a situation that鈥檚 described by studio Sony Pictures Classics as 鈥渆xtreme but strangely sweet.鈥�
Almod贸var鈥檚 last Venice appearance was in 2021, where he presented the for which Penelope Cruz won its best actress prize. In 2019, Venice also gave him a lifetime achievement award. But his history with Venice stretches back 40 years.
鈥淚 was born as a film director in 1983 in Venice,鈥� he said. A few years later, he鈥檇 return with the classic 鈥淲omen on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.鈥�
Of his latest, he wrote 鈥淭ilda Swinton and Julianne Moore carry the weight of the whole film on their shoulders, and they are a spectacle. I have been fortunate in that both give a veritable recital. At times during shooting, both the crew and I were on the verge of tears watching them. It was a very moving shoot and, in some way, blessed.鈥�
The film is playing in competition at the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival, alongside the and the yet-to-premiere 鈥淨ueer鈥� and 鈥淛oker: Folie 脿 Deux.鈥� Winners will be announced on Sept. 7.
Sony Pictures Classics will release 鈥淭he Room Next Door鈥� in theaters in December.
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For more coverage of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, visit .
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
