January 14, 2025 – A tale of two women, one scared of death and the other who is not afraid to die, seem to encapsulate the hopes and fears of people heading into an increasingly threatening future.

Ingrid (played by Julianne Moore of “May December”) fears death, but has hope for the future. A close friend, Damian (John Turturro of “The Batman”) is all doom and gloom, believing mankind is doomed. Ingrid doesn't want to hear that, especially at a time she is dealing with another dear friend, Martha Hunt (Tilda Swinton of “The Killer”) who has an advanced stage of cancer.

Ingrid, an author, hears about Martha's condition at a book signing, and goes to visit her. The two women are old friends, but haven't visited in years. Martha is a war correspondent who has traveled widely in dangerous war zones. Both women have been very busy in their careers. Both women have had torrid love affairs with Damian over the years.

Martha has many regrets in her life, including her troubled relationship with her daughter, Michelle (also played by Tilda Swinton). As the two women discuss their lives, the movie includes a series of flashbacks to earlier times, including the death of Michell's father, a Vietnam veteran who suffered from PTSD.

In their visits Martha and Ingrid endure wild swings of emotions as Martha goes through cancer treatments which offer hope, and at other times that hope is dashed. Martha finally announces she has had enough with the treatments, which offer nothing more that a brief extension of life full of suffering.

She asks Martha to stay with her in her last days of life before she ends her own life at a time of her own choosing, using a deadly pill she has obtained illegally. Ingrid doesn't want to do this, and asks if any of Martha's other friends is willing to do it. Martha says she has already asked them, so Ingrid reluctantly agrees.

Assisting with a suicide is illegal in the state where this happens, so Damian helps Ingrid by arranging a lawyer for her, just in case. The two women head to a remote rental home for Martha's final weeks of life. Even more emotional ups and downs await them there.

This is a kind of low-energy movie, but it is elevated by two outstanding performances by Moore and Swinton. There some really lovely scenes between these two. This is the first English language film by renowned director Pedro Almodóvar (“Parallel Mothers” and “Volver”). The cinematography by Eduard Grau (“The Way Back”) is beautiful, including some ethereal scenes. This film rates a B.

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