Review: Bitter Christmas
Almodóvar gets introspective in this exploration of writers and relationships.
It's easy to be a fan of the work of Pedro Almodóvar. With over 20 feature films under his belt, he creates watchable films with engaging characters - brimming with camp humour and queer drama.
Everything we love about Almodóvar is present in Bitter Christmas [Amarga Navidad] but it's perhaps not as instantly accessible as classics such as All About My Mother (1999) or Volver (2006).
Bitter Christmas sees Almodóvar return to the introspection - and dual time-line structure - of Pain and Glory (2019), but takes things in a more meta direction with a knowing self-awareness.
The two time-lines are 2004, in which an advertising director navigates a turbulent Christmas weekend, and also 2026, in which a filmmaker is writing a screenplay that draws inspiration from the people closest to him.
Part of the confusion for the viewer - on the first viewing - is that Almodóvar is using a misdirect. Most of our focus is given to the characters in the 2004 storyline but any emotional investment is undercut as we realise that their narrative is the film within a film.
Rather than immersing us in the drama of the characters he has created, Almodóvar seems to be more interested in the process of writing - the creative challenges and the moral compromises that writers grapple with.
As you'd expect from an Almodóvar film, everything looks beautiful and the cast is outstanding. However, as a film-watching experience, it feels a bit unsatisfying - there's not really any emotional pay-off for the audience. As a meditation on the challenges of being a successful writer, it's fascinating.
Gareth Johnson