Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in the casting of the next Pedro Almodovar

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar announced Thursday January 25 his return to feature films, with a film project in English with actresses Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore.

Filming of The Room Next Door, with these two popular Anglo-Saxon stars of auteur cinema and actor John Turturro, is due to begin in March between Madrid and New York, the filmmaker reported in a press release. As almost always with Almodovar, it will be about an “imperfect mother”, separated from her daughter by “a huge misunderstanding”. “At the heart of this conflict, Ingrid (Julianne Moore), a friend of Martha's (Tilda Swinton) mother, becomes a witness to the pain and bitterness of each person. Martha is a war reporter, Ingrid is an autofiction novelist,” summarizes the press release.

Also read: Madres Paralelas by Pedro Almodovar lacks nerve

“The film addresses the limitless cruelty of wars and highlights the unique approaches of the two writers to depict reality. It explores the themes of death, friendship, and sexual pleasure, considered essential allies in the fight against horror. In a house nestled in the heart of a nature reserve in New England, the two friends will experience a situation that is both extreme and surprisingly tender,” the text continues.

The author of All About My Mother, Volver and Talk to Her, a leading filmmaker of the Spanish Movida, announced in 2020 that he wanted to film in English. He has since released two medium-length films, the first with Tilda Swinton, La Voix Humaine, the other with Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, Strange Way of Life, more of a cinematographic essay and for confidential distribution.