Bitter Christmas avoids holiday cheer

The title Bitter Christmas indicates that writer-director Pedro Almodóvar has other things on his mind besides holiday cheer. His fans like me know that so we easily handle his distinct cinematic approach that mixes melodrama with comedy and a focus on women. But although Bitter Christmas features three big roles for women, the director ultimately targets a man similar to himself. Actor Leonardo Sbaraglia plays Raúl, a world-renowned filmmaker coming out of a slow spell because a friend’s private difficulties inspire a screenplay.  All this comes to light after Bitter Christmas starts with events, later revealing them as images Raúl envisions while writing. Going back and forth between 2004 and 2026 and sometimes switching names for the same character means keeping track of Bitter Christmas requires more than usual attention. Almodóvar laces the complexities with traits that made him famous, from lush music to outrageously bright color designs plus beautiful people. He brings in a famous singer, finds an excuse for a strip routine by a hot guy, and uses striking locations in the Canary Islands. Well-acted by Barbara Lenie, Victoria Luengo, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón and Patrick Criado among others, the story flounders at times, a point acknowledged in dialogue by the director’s alter ego character. Though capable of coming up with compelling concepts and characters, both Almodóvar and Raúl never quite figure where to go with it all. Bitter Christmas may not represent Almodóvar in top form, but it nonetheless shows him as an original voice in cinema.