Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Stars: Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Victoria Luengo, Patrick Criado, Milena Smit

Almodóvar’s latest sees the director exploring the ethics of adapting art to life while possibly reflecting on his own process. The picture takes place over two time periods. The first is set in 2004 where fashion photographer Elsa (Lennie) is living with her fireman/stripper boyfriend Bonifacio (Criado). She is struggling with a series of migraines and complications in her friends’ lives. One, Patricia (Luengo) suspects her husband is having an affair; another friend, model Natalia (Smit), is stricken with grief after a terrible accident. In 2025, celebrated veteran filmmaker Raúl (Sbaraglia) is weighing up his career options in the Netflix era, while planning his next screenplay ‘Bitter Christmas’, which turns out to be Elsa’s story, but which is clearly based on acquaintances of his own, causing anger and repercussions.

Exhibiting his usual mastery of form, Almodóvar effortlessly weaves the two stories together while Alberto Iglesias’s flexible score ably shifts from melodrama to thriller as story dictates. Pau Esteve Birba’s cinematography is far from festive, bathing his characters in bright sunny colours. One aerial shot of two characters lying on a volcanic beach is gorgeous. Although there are some potent musings on grief, creativity and responsibility here, the slightly baggy, unfocused and excessive running time means this is minor Almodóvar. But minor Pedro is still essential Pedro. The music of Mexican singer Chavela Vargas is deployed to very moving effect, in original recordings, and in a touching sequence when Elsa is serenaded with a Vargas song by a concerned friend.

David Willoughby

Follow David on Bluesky @davidwilloughby.bsky.social