Amarga Navidad | Weekend at the Castle

On Saturday, June 13, at 9:30 PM, audiences will have the opportunity to see Bitter Christmas, Pedro Almodóvar’s latest feature, in a special preview screening. The film premiered in the Official Competition at Cannes.

Elsa (Bárbara Lennie), a commercial director, tries to cope with the death of her mother by immersing herself in work, until a severe migraine forces her to take a break and go on holiday with her friend Patricia. Attempting to reconnect with her creative writing, she begins transforming the dramas of those around her into artistic material.

Running parallel is another narrative thread centered on Raúl (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a filmmaker struggling with creative block who begins writing Elsa’s story itself — perhaps turning her into his own alter ego. With stories reflecting one another, autofiction, humour, melodrama, and unforgettable characters (including a boyfriend who is both a stripper and a firefighter), Bitter Christmas promises to be one of Almodóvar’s most personal and self-reflective films to date.