Film Club: Bitter Christmas

Dir: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Film info: 2026. 111 mins. Spain. Cert: 15A (IFCO) / 15 (BBFC)
Spanish language with English subtitles

Filmmaker Raúl is working on his latest film, Bitter Christmas. The script focuses on his alter ego Elsa. Working through writer’s block and panic attacks, Elsa finds creative inspiration in the lives of those around her - but some friends are uncomfortable with the personal nature of her work. It becomes clear that Raúl is using Bitter Christmas to grapple with real-life moral quandaries. Is he betraying the trust of those closest to him by encompassing their traumas into his films? With his new film, Pedro Almodóvar appears to have made one of his most candid and self- reflective works yet... or has he? Bitter Christmas proves another delightfully twisty and playful addition to the Spanish master’s oeuvre.

Trailer:

Festivals:
Cannes Film Festival, 2026