David Marchese

I hadn't really thought about who it was based on until, that is, when in preparation for my interview with Swinton, I watched a documentary she co-directed about Berger. In it, she mentioned Bento's sketchbook, and a light bulb went on. Despite being a longtime admirer of that sketch and Swinton's acting, I'd never put together that I'd been entranced by the same person the whole time.

I couldn't help but take that as a good omen for the interview. The second connection was tougher to interpret. You might remember that my last interview was with a doctor about medical aid in dying, a subject that I've had recent personal experience with.

I couldn't help but take that as a good omen for the interview. The second connection was tougher to interpret. You might remember that my last interview was with a doctor about medical aid in dying, a subject that I've had recent personal experience with.

Swinton's upcoming film, The Room Next Door, directed by Pedro Almodovar, is about, and I swear I didn't know this ahead of time, an eerily similar topic. In the movie, Swinton plays a woman named Martha, who asks her friend Ingrid, played by Julianne Moore, to support her decision to die by suicide after becoming terminally ill.

Swinton's upcoming film, The Room Next Door, directed by Pedro Almodovar, is about, and I swear I didn't know this ahead of time, an eerily similar topic. In the movie, Swinton plays a woman named Martha, who asks her friend Ingrid, played by Julianne Moore, to support her decision to die by suicide after becoming terminally ill.

I would have felt phony or disingenuous not to share this coincidence with Swinton, but I can't say I was exactly eager to explore it either. She, as it turns out, felt otherwise. Here's my interview with Tilda Swinton. Your new movie, The Room Next Door, is based on a great novel by Sigrid Nunez called What Are You Going Through? Yes.

I would have felt phony or disingenuous not to share this coincidence with Swinton, but I can't say I was exactly eager to explore it either. She, as it turns out, felt otherwise. Here's my interview with Tilda Swinton. Your new movie, The Room Next Door, is based on a great novel by Sigrid Nunez called What Are You Going Through? Yes.

And that novel takes its title from a quote by the French philosopher Simone Weil, which is, the love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him, what are you going through? So let me ask you, in the Simone Weil sense of the question, what are you going through?

And that novel takes its title from a quote by the French philosopher Simone Weil, which is, the love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him, what are you going through? So let me ask you, in the Simone Weil sense of the question, what are you going through?

I have some questions about how people might think about that, but I want to preface them by sharing what I hope is sort of a morbidly humorous anecdote related to the film. Sounds good. We'll see. We'll see. So the last interview I did was with a doctor in Canada who performs medical assistance in dying. She helps people to die. And the occasion of doing that interview was

I have some questions about how people might think about that, but I want to preface them by sharing what I hope is sort of a morbidly humorous anecdote related to the film. Sounds good. We'll see. We'll see. So the last interview I did was with a doctor in Canada who performs medical assistance in dying. She helps people to die. And the occasion of doing that interview was

was my mother's haven't gone through that process earlier this year. So it was kind of a heavy interview for me. And then afterwards, the opportunity arose to interview you. And I thought, oh, great. I love Tilda Swinton's movies. And then I saw you were doing the director of The Room Next Door is Almodovar. And I thought... Again, oh, I love the exuberance of his work. This will be great.

was my mother's haven't gone through that process earlier this year. So it was kind of a heavy interview for me. And then afterwards, the opportunity arose to interview you. And I thought, oh, great. I love Tilda Swinton's movies. And then I saw you were doing the director of The Room Next Door is Almodovar. And I thought... Again, oh, I love the exuberance of his work. This will be great.

It'll be a laugh. I went to the screening, you know, I got a popcorn, you know, I got my Diet Coke from a soda fountain, which is a guilty pleasure of mine. I even got some M&Ms. I get down to my seat. So good. I'm feeling good. I'm sitting there. And within a few minutes, it dawns on me that your movie is about assisted suicide. So thank you, Tilda.

It'll be a laugh. I went to the screening, you know, I got a popcorn, you know, I got my Diet Coke from a soda fountain, which is a guilty pleasure of mine. I even got some M&Ms. I get down to my seat. So good. I'm feeling good. I'm sitting there. And within a few minutes, it dawns on me that your movie is about assisted suicide. So thank you, Tilda.

Oh, boy. I felt, well, sort of like I was suggesting, I was not immediately jazzed to be made to revisit my emotions so soon. But I also felt glad that the subject was... being treated in an emotionally truthful way.

Oh, boy. I felt, well, sort of like I was suggesting, I was not immediately jazzed to be made to revisit my emotions so soon. But I also felt glad that the subject was... being treated in an emotionally truthful way.

And then I have to say, and I really am not just saying this because I'm talking to you now, I did feel some catharsis in sort of revisiting the emotions through having seen them depicted in the film. How does that ring for you?

And then I have to say, and I really am not just saying this because I'm talking to you now, I did feel some catharsis in sort of revisiting the emotions through having seen them depicted in the film. How does that ring for you?

I'm sure the audience has had enough of me being upset about my mother, but I'll move on.