‘Dazzling’ new film with top-tier cast gets crazy 20-minute standing ovation at Venice-Asyia Iftikhar and Tori Brazier at Venice Film Festival-Entertainment – Metro

The longest standing ovation of Venice Film Festival so far belongs to Pedro Almodovar’s new film The Room Next Door, clocking in at an absolutely crazy nearly 20 minutes.

Starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, the film is the 74-year-old Spanish director’s first in the English language and the gamble – which he called experimenting with a ‘new genre’ – certainly seems to have paid off.

Various film titles clocked the ovation at anything from 17 minutes to over 18 minutes and 30 seconds.

The movie’s official Instagram account was also in overdrive, sharing clip after clip from the ovation – including one that claimed it was the ‘longest in Venice’s history’.

During the lengthy applause, the central trio – Moore, Almodovar, and Swinton – looked thrilled, exchanging pleased glances and holding hands with one another as the filmmaker took a few bows to acknowledge the praise.

The acclaimed director was also spotted taking selfies and signing autographs for fans during the mammoth applause, per Variety who called the lengthy reception ‘unbelievable’.

The filmmaker and lead stars Julianna Moore and Tilda Swinton wowed audiences with The Room Next Door (Picture: FilmMagic)

The Hollywood co-stars play two estranged friends who reunite under the most difficult circumstances (Picture: Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage)

The May December star stunned in a floor-length sparkling gold gown, Almodovar wore a deep pink suit and the Narnia star donned a frosty white blazer and matching trousers.

Certainly, previous ovations at the festival have come near but not quite eclipsed this impressive new number such as Banshees of Insherin’s 13-minutes and Ana De Armas’ Blonde which enjoyed a 14-minute standing ovation.

Other film festivals such as Cannes have reached similar, and even bigger, heights, with 2006’s Pan’s Labryithn holding the record at a whopping 22 minutes.

The Almodovar film follows two estranged friends from the 80s, Ingrid and Martha who reunite after years apart when Martha is admitted to hospital with a cervical cancer diagnosis.

But their timeless bond is truly tested when Martha asks Ingrid to stay in the room next door as she consumes a euthanasia pill she procured herself on the dark web.

The Oscar-winning duo are the breakout stars of this festival (Picture: Daniele Cifalà/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

It’s curious that The Room Next Door was the movie to generate such a long standing ovation – although it was certainly helped along by its stars and director stepping out to clap along themselves.

The film covers a fascinating and important topic, but takes a while to get off the ground, with some of the English dialogue sometimes sounding quite stilted.

Nonetheless, it also features two powerhouse performances from Swinton and Moore and explores a theme that likely touched many, with Almodovar issuing a passionate defence of people’s right to die.

‘This movie is in favour of euthanasia,’ he said to press including Metro.co.uk at the film’s press conference on Monday.

Speaking in Spanish, which he switched to at the most delicate points, he added: ‘It is something we admire about the character of Tilda’s, she decides that getting rid of cancer can only be done by making the decision she actually makes.

The movie has been called ‘dazzling’ and ‘understated’ (Picture: AP)

‘If I get there before, cancer will not win over me,’ she says. And so she finds a way to reach her objective with the help of her friend, but they have to behave as if they were criminals.’

He continued: ‘There should be the possibility to have euthanasia all over the world. It should be regulated and a doctor should be allowed to help his patient.’

The time and care to the subject matter has clearly paid off with reviewers lauding the new film.

‘Almodóvar restrains himself, making a film that is as understated and lovely as his leading ladies’ performances,’ the Standard wrote in its four-star reviews.

The Guardian echoed the film ‘is a hothouse Spanish shrub transplanted to stony foreign soil.’

The pair hold nothing back (Picture: AP)

The review continued: ‘It wilts and it droops; it almost gives up the ghost. Then when it flowers it feels like a small miracle. The film’s very fragility is what makes it so gorgeous.’

Meanwhile, the BBC praised the ‘cheeky humour’ and ‘campy melodrama’ of the movie in which Moore and Swinton are ‘dazzling’.

‘It develops into a sweetly heartfelt reflection on ageing, dying, and whether or not it’s healthy to find joy in the most desperate of circumstances,’ the critic concluded.

And Deadline described it as ‘thoughtful, vital and even radiant.’

The Room Next Door is the latest film to wow critics and fans alike at this year’s festival.

Earlier this week post-war epic The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones earned a 13-minute standing ovation and glowing reviews with Brody looking visibly moved by the applause.

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