Bitter Christmas

You’re confusing fiction with reality.

DramaComedy

In cinemas 2mo later · Limited Nov 13, 2026 (US)

★ Shortlisted by Ariane, Frances, Sharon

Programme: Special Presentations
Year: 2026
Runtime: 111 min
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish
Premiere: North American Premiere
TMDB rating: 6.3 (118 votes)
In cinemas: Nov 13, 2026 (US)

In 2025 Spain, a celebrated film director struggles to write the screenplay for an autofictional film set in 2004 Spain about an unsuccessful movie director turned director of commercials who suffers a panic attack that forces her to take a break by visiting the Canary Islands, where she begins work on a new film.

From the TIFF programme

With noirish hues and telenovela twists, the latest from Oscar-winning maestro Pedro Almodóvar (TIFF ’24’s The Room Next Door) follows a pair of self-centred film directors exploring grief, love, and the perils of unchecked artistic license.

Riddled with intrigue, personal entanglements, and stories within stories, the latest from Oscar-winning maestro Pedro Almodóvar, last at the Festival with TIFF ’24’s The Room Next Door, follows a pair of filmmakers vying against the hazards of sustaining a meaningful artistic career — and the alliances that sometimes get compromised in the process.

Elsa (Bárbara Lennie, TIFF ’22’s El Suplente) gave up art-house filmmaking for gainful employment as an advertising director long ago, but the urge to craft something personal and creative comes creeping back: she begins writing a new screenplay, drawing upon the misfortunes of her friends for material. Parallel to Elsa’s endeavour, revered auteur Raúl (Leonardo Sbaraglia, who featured in Almodóvar’s thematically related TIFF ’19 drama Pain and Glory) is also using the personal hardships of his inner circle to concoct character arcs for his new project. Both artists seek to rejuvenate their respective practices through autofictional devices that threaten to dismantle their most cherished relationships.

Bitter Christmas invites us into an entrancing house of mirrors as only Almodóvar can construct. Alter egos, seductions, and betrayals abound, as do memorable characters and performances — such as Elsa’s firefighter/exotic dancer boyfriend (Patrick Criado) and longtime Almodóvar alum Rossy de Palma in a buoyant cameo — and sequences that fuse the director’s characteristically sumptuous use of colour with evocative locations. With noirish hues and telenovela twists, it’s a captivating exploration of grief, love, and the perils of unchecked artistic licence.

ANITA LEE

Content advisory: suicide, mature themes, sexual content