Tilda Swinton explores assisted suicide in Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door.

TORONTO, ONT – Although “The Room Next Door” is Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature, Tilda Swinton notes that it was never written in a language that anyone else actually speaks.

“He writes in the Pedro language, and here he is making another film in a different version of the Pedro language, which happens to sound a little bit like English,” Swinton said.

Set in New York, Swinton plays Martha, a terminally ill woman who decides to end her life on her own terms. After reconnecting with her friend Ingrid, played by Julianne Moore, Martha convinces her to stay and keep her company before putting her decision into action.

Beyond the film’s narrative, Swinton said she believes individuals should have a say in their lives and deaths. She admits that she personally witnessed a friend’s compassionate farewell.

“In my own life, I was very fortunate to be asked by someone in Martha’s position to be his Ingrid (Julianne Moore),” Swinton said.

She said the experience shaped her approach to life and death: “Not only my ability to witness to other people in this situation, but also my own life and my own death.”

Swinton spoke to The Associated Press about “The Room Next Door,” Almodóvar and his idea of ​​letting people die on their own terms. Notes have been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: What was the challenge of getting into this role?

SWINTON: I felt really blessed by this opportunity. So many of us have been in the situation that Julianne Moore’s character finds herself in, being asked to witness someone dying. Whether or not there is a desire to orchestrate one’s own demise, being in this position as a witness is something I have had the opportunity to experience many times in my life from a young age.

AP: Many people have the experience of watching terminally ill family members. Can this film help you?

SWINTON: It’s a really beautiful poem about the possibility of attitude. I find (my character) Martha’s attitude towards her own life really inspiring. I think that this is a really generous suggestion and that it might inspire people to simply know that it is possible to face their own death with dignity, which is what this is all about.

It’s really foolish to think that we can avoid thinking about death, because it’s not just unfortunate people who get sick or die. It’s an inevitability. And so we might as well embrace it. And by the way, the more we embrace it, the more we will enjoy our livelihood.

AP: Your character goes to great lengths to alleviate crime. Do you think this also shows that perhaps there is a place for assisted suicide in society?

SWINTON: There are many countries in the world where it is not a crime to support a person’s active will to bring about their own death. And in the United States, there are 10 states where it is not a crime for two doctors to support a patient’s active desire to take control of their own death. And there are just other places where New York State, where our film takes place, is not one of those ten states. And I think there are all kinds of people, very wise and very compassionate, very educated and very enlightened people, who are actively working to expand that acceptance.

AP: You’ve worked with many great directors in your career. What was the adjustment like working with Pedro?

SWINTON: I had a taste of it with the short film “The Human Voice.” We did it in the middle of COVID. We shot it in nine days. Super, super fast… And I thought Pedro worked really fast because it was a short film and we were in the middle of the COVID crisis. No, no, that’s how Pedro works. I can now discover two takes really, really quickly, if you’re lucky.

AP: Does his style bring your performance in an organic way?

SWINTON: I mean, it really always helps when you know a filmmaker’s work as well as you know Pedro’s work. I’ve known it since I was a student and have always loved it. It’s like a country. I love traveling to Almodóvar’s world, and that’s not Spain, but somewhere else. It’s his environment. So stepping into the role of a filmmaker creating this environment is always a bit of a journey.

AP: In Venice, the film received a great response from the audience with a very long standing ovation. How validating was that?

SWINTON: It’s still a bit of a shock for us. If you’re sitting in the audience, that’s your first clue as to whether the soufflé has risen or not. Apparently 18.5 minutes is a record when you stand next to Pedro Almodóvar and know that that’s 18.5 minutes of people really paying loving tribute to him. It doesn’t get much better than that.

AP: Is awards season something you pay attention to when making a film like this? When you hear the buzzing, do you ever think about it?

SWINTON: Not mine. To be honest, I’m really not clear about this in particular. I have other things on my mind. It’s like the weather. It’s like saying, “Do you have the weather in mind in three months?” Well, no. Let’s wait and see. Let’s keep it real. Let’s keep it today.