One of the powers of cinema is to tell stories not only through words and images, but also through the environments that frame these stories. Two directors who masterfully use interiors as a crucial narrative element are Woody Allen and Pedro Almodóvar. What inspires us are their distinctive styles, so different from each other, and the way in which they use furniture, often full of vintage elements, to outline the interiority of their characters.

The most iconic sets created by the two master directors go far beyond the role of simple background: they capture the viewer's gaze, becoming protagonists of the scene for a few moments. Such is Woody Allen's fascination with this dynamic, that one of his first films is entitled Interiors (1978). Of this film, which explores family dynamics through interior design, we remember in particular the dining room, a symphony of neutral colors, a few solid, austere and refined furnishings: a severe purity, which reflects the coldness and emotional distance of the main character. Wanting to contrast this room with a typical environment created by Pedro Almodóvar, such as the living room of writer Marco, the protagonist of Talk to Her (1999), one immerses oneself in a repertoire of bold, sometimes eccentric furniture, but above all in a world of bright and vibrant colors, which have always been the distinctive feature of the Spanish filmmaker, who has made color one of his most effective means of expression.

The interior choices reflect other facets of the two directors’ styles: while Allen, known for his ability to transpose his anxieties and obsessions onto the big screen, has set many stories in New York, where the themes of life are treated with wit and intellectual detachment, strong passion and humor drive the characters of Almodóvar's dramatic and complex plots, mostly set in Spain.

There are countless masterpieces by the two directors, which show the relationship between the actors and the interiors: from Midnight in Paris, where Allen gives us an incursion into the past through the experience of a young writer - the house of writer Gertrude Stein is a riot of vintage Parisian elements, including antique furniture, period lamps and sconces, unique works of art, dark wood and a large marble fireplace, which immerses the viewer in the lively Paris of the 1920s — to a great classic like Annie Hall (1977), in which Woody takes us into the intertwined lives of Alvy Singer and Annie Hall. The photograph immortalizes the simoultaneous scenes where the leading characters are at their therapists: the office of Alvy's therapist, with its palette of brown colors and wooden panels, offers a very traditional design, which would like to reflect the "old-fashioned" nature of the character. Curiously, the doctor-patient setup is also conventional, with Alvy lying on a sofa with his psychoanalyst behind him. Annie's therapist's office on the other hand, features a modern and minimalist design. The white walls are complemented by a contemporary painting, Annie is sitting on a modern lounge armchair with a leather seat, and we do not see her therapist in the scene.

There is no doubt that for both directors, the style of a space represents the very essence of the character inhabiting it. In one of Almodóvar's most recent films, Pain and Glory (2019), it is almost as if the mature age of the protagonist, a director who finds himself analyzing his past, his lost loves and the crucial artistic decisions of his life, is reflected in an interior that could be the catalog of the most sought after vintage pieces on the moment: among the "main actors" a cabinet by Fornasetti, a few totems by Sottsass, the 637 Chair by Rietveld, the Pipistrello lamp by Gae Aulenti, the Fjord chair by Patricia Urquiola, silk-screen prints by Enzo Mari.

Another fundamental film ingredient is the choice of the soundtrack, a profoundly distinctive element in both directors. If Allen is a lover of jazz, sophisticated melodies and opera music, Almodóvar integrates Latin and popular music into his films, which strengthens the energy transmitted by his leading charachers and the often traumatic events they have to face. Two masters, two tones and two very different styles, united by the desire to delve into the human soul, making the appearance of an interior a powerful narrative element.