MY first film at my first IFFI was the “The Room Next Door.” “The Room Next Door” is an October 2024 release, a Spanish film written and directed in English and based on the novel “What Are You Going Through” by author Sigrid Nunez. The synopsis of the film is that Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth when they worked together in the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an auto-fiction novelist, while Martha became a war reporter. Eventually, they were separated by life’s circumstances. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation. The film’s director is Pedro Almodóvar
Like aforesaid in my IFFI experience this was my first movie. Surprisingly, in all the years I have lived in Goa, I have never attended any IFFI screening. But this year I was offered a pass and thought, “Why not?” See a few films, I mean.
However, getting the ID card was a messy situation. When I went to the venue a couple of days before the opening day there was a crowd and a lot of infrastructure work was going on. Funny enough, I spoke to several officials who sent me from pillar to post to get my ID, each pointing to a direction of their choice like they were sending me on a fake treasure hunt!
Finally, I stood at the media centre line (the same place I went to earlier, and they pointed me in the direction of the parking lot.) This time they sent someone with me to find the makeshift structure bang on the pavement outside the ESG complex where they were giving out the IDs and IFFI bags. I finally got it, my jute bag and ID card.

On the day of screening the line was long and since it was my first time, it took a few minutes for me to identify the “lay of the land.” Handbags were scanned at the entrance and my guess for the long line was that it was a Sunday late afternoon show. The doors opened 15 minutes before screening of the film commenced and the line moved fast. It was very organised, and in between, I was pulled out for a random bag check. Seats are not assigned and one could sit anywhere there was a vacant seat.
There was no national anthem or intermission and I bring this up because I was trying to observe the differences between the non-IFFI films I have attended at this venue. I found myself in the midst of delegates speaking a south Indian language and they were loud and talked across me (me being short) as it seemed easier for them. I hope they were not talking about me!
In the middle of the film we were distracted by some loud snoring around us, I guess viewers find it easy to take their post-lunch nap in the auditorium in the midst of a film. When the snoring got too loud someone nudged the person awake two seats away from me, it was a Grrrrrrr moment.
COMING back to the film my overall summary despite the movie-spoiler, was that I was pleasantly surprised to find the main characters in the film were Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. Even though I’d read the synopsis beforehand, I imagined the movie’s storyline based on what I’d read. Scenarios like mates with adjoining rooms or some childhood memory from their past came to mind, but the story did not come close to what I had imagined.
In the movie, Martha has a terminal illness and is on some experimental drugs and immunotherapy. However, she knows she will not make it and wants to end things on her terms. Their friendship grows stronger and Ingrid (Julianne Moore) does the most selfless thing a friend could do for her dying friend.
What tickled my fancy regarding highlights was that the film is a beautiful story about friendship and other relationships. It makes one introspect about one’s own life and wonder if there would be anyone when our turn comes in such a situation. The leading actors did a nice job and some scenes made me smile, giving insight into the mind of a terminally ill person and again, one begins to wonder, “What would I do?” In a similar situation?
It was a slow-paced film though with lowlights. I don’t want to give away the whole story but there’s the “elephant in the room” or so to speak which may go against people’s beliefs. My overall rating for the film is a 5.5 out of 10. And that was my first experience of viewing a film