Bitter Christmas
| Score: | / 10 |
| Cast: | Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Victoria Luengo |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Length: | 111 minutes |
| Released: | November 20, 2026 |
| Director: | Pedro Almodóvar |
| Producer: | Agustín Almodóvar |
| Studio: | Mongrel Media |
Bitter Christmas Synopsis
After her mother dies, director of commercials Elsa (Bárbara Lennie) immerses herself in work to cope. When migraines force her to take a break, she decides to travel to Lanzarote for the 2004 Constitution Day's long weekend with her friend Patricia (Victoria Luengo) while her boyfriend stays in Madrid. To resume creative writing, she uses the personal miseries of her close friends.
In an alternating story set in 2026, the plot explores how filmmaker Raúl (Leonardo Sbaraglia) is writing a script which turns out to be the story of Elsa, Raúl's alter ego. Raúl is delving into autofiction to overcome a creativity block, and is influenced by his own life, his boyfriend Santi and his assistant Mónica.
The film narrates the close relationship between reality and fiction, between inspiration and life, exploring the limits of autofiction and stories within stories.