Bitter Christmas
Bitter Christmas is an upcoming Spanish comedy film directed by Pedro Almodóvar. It stars Bárbara Lennie and Leonardo Sbaraglia alongside Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Victoria Luengo, Patrick Criado, Milena Smit, and Quim Gutiérrez.
The film will be theatrically released in Spain on 20 March 2026 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Premise
After her mother dies in December, advertising director Elsa immerses herself in work to cope. When a panic attack forces her to take a break, she decides to travel to Lanzarote with her friend Patricia while her partner Bonifacio stays in Madrid.Cast
Production
In an interview to IndieWire published in October 2024, Almodóvar pitched Bitter Christmas as "a tragic comedy about gender". In May 2025, Victoria Luengo and Patrick Criado were reported to have been cast. Filming began on 9 June 2025, with Pau Esteve Birba serving as cinematographer. Additional cast members including Bárbara Lennie, Quim Gutiérrez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Milena Smit, and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón were subsequently reported. The film is an El Deseo production and it had the collaboration of Movistar Plus+. Shooting wrapped on 12 August 2025 in Lanzarote. Shooting locations also included Madrid. Teresa Font took over film editing during post-production.Release
is scheduled to release the film in Spanish theatres on 20 March 2026. It will later be released on streamer Movistar Plus+. Warner Bros. also took over Mexican distribution, scheduling a 28 May 2026 theatrical release.Curzon acquired distribution rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland. In August 2025, Sony Pictures Classics, Almodóvar's recurring North American distributor, acquired distribution rights to the film in that territory.