Anyone who has ever seen The next roomyou will know very well that Pedro Almodóvar paid tribute to various artists and filmmakers in his adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s novel, “Qué es tu tormento”. From Dora Carrington, through Edward Hopper and William Faulkner, to of course the central axis with which the director of La Mancha supports his manifesto in favor of euthanasia: “Dubliners” by James Joyce and the last film of the same name directed by John Huston during his lifetime. But… what is this fragment on which the filmmaker relies so much for his recently released film? Is it available on any platform? Then we disengage the advantages and disadvantages of using Almodóvar » was the Irish writer’s final monologue.
(mentioned below spoilers of The next room).
To begin with, you need to understand that “Dubliners” is actually a collection of 15 newss. Specifically, Huston’s film covers the last of these, titled ‘The Dead’. A story that testifies to the audiovisual heritage of the famous American director, who shot this nostalgic film in wheelchair and with an oxygen maskthree months before dying of pulmonary emphysema. In The next roomAlmodóvar uses the final monologue of the character Gabriel in the film to explain the end of the life of one of his protagonists, perfectly expressing the idea of death and the futility of the world and what surrounds us as the thematic core. The text used in the feature film is as follows: “The snow is falling. He comes across this lonely cemetery in which Michael Furey rests. It falls languorously through the Universe and falls languorously as in the descent of its final end, on all the living and on the dead.
These Joycean existentialisms are revealed in three moments in the film version of Nunez’s book. First in the hospital, when the snow falls on New York, then the night when the protagonists watch the film and finally, of course, at the end of the bitter goodbyes of the two friends, where the character of Julianne Mooreand finds the girl from the role of Tilda Swintonalso performed by the Oscar-winning British actress.
What is “Dubliners” about?
The official synopsis of The Dubliners It reads: “On Epiphany Day, 1904, one of the liveliest parties in Dublin is about to begin, that of the Misses Morkan. Among the guests is Gabriel Conroy, nephew of the hosts and husband of the beautiful Gretta. That evening, the guests enjoy a magnificent evening. Gabriel, very much in love with his wife, observes her emotion when an old love song plays. Back home, Gretta confesses a secret.
Incorporating Joyce’s material into the script himself, Huston assembled a large cast of familiar facesincluding Donal McCann, Helena Carroll, Cathleen Delany, Ingrid Craigie, Rachel Dowling and her own daughter, Angelica Huston.
Where is it available?
For now, The Dubliners It is only available in the Filmin platform. Less than an hour and a half long, it’s a very special and moving piece about the passage of time, in which Huston’s talent is matched by a humility rare among filmmakers of his legacy. Emotional until its final apotheosis, the inevitable decline of times rhymes with Almodóvar’s last work.
The next room is perhaps a balance exercise excessively subordinate to Huston’s cinematic farewells and, ultimately, to Joyce’s original story. Contrary to The Dublinersthe latent sensation is that of walking on tiptoe in a trivial existentialismdefending a prefect in which there is no room for certain political changes that end up distracting and tarnishing this tragic, inevitable and, in a certain sense, unspeakable rosy decline. Some fans of the director may find here a reconciliation pending after Parallel mothersYesbut it will certainly leave those who have entered fully into this magnificent visual testament called pain and glory. Almodóvar’s latest film hit theaters this weekend, and some have him among the leading contenders for more than one nomination at the upcoming Oscars.
