Pedro Almodóvar announces new movie, ‘Bitter Christmas’
The latest film directed by Pedro Almodóvar has been revealed as Bitter Christmas, otherwise known as Amarga Navidad in Spanish.
The iconic filmmaker’s next project was revealed by Spanish streaming giant Movistar Plus+ on June 10th, via Variety. The station noted Bitter Christmas would be released in Spanish cinemas next year before heading to the platform.
The movie is currently shooting on location between Madrid and Lanzarote, in collaboration with El Desco, the production company owned by Almodóvar’s brother, Agustín Almodóvar.
As has become customary for many of the director’s films, Bitter Christmas is led by a strong female cast, including Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Victoria Luengo, Patrick Criado, Milena Smit, and Quim Gutiérrez.
Translated into English from Spanish, the official synopsis for the movie reads: “Elsa is an advertising director whose mother dies during a long December holiday weekend. She throws herself into work as a form of escape, not realising she’s denying herself the time to grieve. Her relentless pace is interrupted when a panic attack forces her to take a break.”
As the character of Elsa escapes to the island of Lanzarote for a chance to breathe, the synopsis adds: “Bitter Christmas explores how life and fiction are inseparably linked, sometimes painfully so.”
Bitter Christmas comes as Almodóvar’s latest directorial effort, following on from last year’s The Room Next Door, starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. Marking his first ever feature-length English film, the movie won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival 2024, becoming the first Spanish film to achieve the honour.
Almodóvar has long established himself as a critically acclaimed director, winning Oscars in 1999 and 2002, respectively, for his films All About My Mother and Talk to Her.
A specific release date for Bitter Christmas has not yet been revealed.
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