Bitter Christmas is the translation of the title of Pedro Almodóvar’s new film, but in France the film is called Autofiction, a title that makes it immediately clear what the viewer is in for: a blend of autobiography and fiction, a film-within-a-film. The central question is: to what extent can and should one transform the lives of others – and one’s own – into art?
In 2004, advertising and film director Elsa is plagued by migraines and panic attacks, all of which are linked to the sudden death of her mother. She decides to take a break and, without her boyfriend Bonifacio, sets off for Lanzarote with her close friend Patricia, hoping to work on the screenplay for her new film there – a film based on Patricia’s life. More than twenty years later: the well-known screenwriter and director Raúl is struggling with the screenplay for his new film Amarga Navidad, for which he has taken the life of his assistant Mónica as his starting point. The character who represents her is called Elsa.
Amarga Navidad
Expected
05 Nov 2026
Regie
Pedro Almodóvar
Language
Spaans
Origin
Spanje, 2026
Viewing guide
A blend of autobiography and fiction about Raúl, a director working on a film about Elsa, a filmmaker who struggles with her work following the death of her mother.