There were expectations for the Cannes press conference of Bittersweet Christmas, by Pedro Almodóvar, in which the filmmaker participated alongside the film’s cast. There were expectations because the night before, after the standing ovation following the gala screening in Cannes, Almodóvar confessed: “I have never found an audience as warm as this one. For me, coming to Cannes is always a dream: crossing those doors and sitting in this room. I will miss it a lot when I am no longer here and watch it on television.” It is not a retirement, because at the end of the year the filmmaker will publish a novel and hopes to shoot his next film in the spring of 2027. But, does he think he will never return to the French festival?
The film had been awarded at the gala, after its screening, with a warm ovation of nearly nine minutes, which is the average length of applause in this edition. What was striking was Almodóvar’s subsequent speech to the audience in the Lumière room. This Wednesday morning he clarified at the press conference: “I am not saying goodbye. I do have the next script written. But the seven times I have brought films are moments that have been recorded in my biography. I am not retiring, but I do know that if for life reasons I do not return here, I will miss it a lot.” And he emphasized that he always likes to come to compete: “It is much more exciting. What I do know is that it makes no sense to come as a favorite. That happened to me with All About My Mother and Volver.” He recalled how David Cronenberg, jury president when All About My Mother did not win, said that if the awards have to be those that the press and public want, why have a jury? “And he was right, juries are eclectic, sometimes too much.”
Regarding the possibility that Bittersweet Christmas forms a diptych with Pain and Glory, Almodóvar commented that he also sees it that way: “Indeed, because I have never spoken about myself like this. Pain and Glory dealt with physical pains that torment the protagonist. In this one, the pain is moral, it paralyzes him and I feel absolutely recognized in that character. That creative crisis leads him to look inside himself. That director is a selfish figure. In my case, I have not hurt anyone, and if I had, I would not have made Bittersweet Christmas. But creators are selfish, we feed on what surrounds us. It is a debate about that guilt and moral responsibility. Nevertheless, for me creation is a very powerful engine,” accompanying the phrase with a grabbing gesture. “My creative passion is taking on dramatic tones. I do not understand it without that.”
Asked about his opinion, as a creator, on the multiple recent threats to freedom of expression, the filmmaker reflected at length: “It affects current life very negatively, certainly. I do not want to judge anyone, although it seems a moral duty to me. Silence and fear are a symptom that things are going badly, they are a symptom of the devaluation of democracy. The creator must speak without synonyms, openly. Terrible things are happening to us every day not to talk about them, with authoritarian rulers like Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu.” Regarding those leaders, he pointed out: “Europeans have to speak more. Because we have laws. They must respect international laws, and know that there is a limit to their delusions. We are obliged to become a shield against monsters like Trump, Netanyahu, and Putin.” The director and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón wore the badge with an open watermelon and the slogan “Free Palestine.”
Reflecting on his career and the depths he has reached with his cinema in this 21st century, Almodóvar misses his humor: “I would like to be able to make a film again like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I wrote and directed it [laughs]! In the next script there will be humor, although it will be dark humor.” Then, he explained: “I am tired of myself. And I am looking for someone to write with, who brings me new worlds.” That is why he insists: “After a film like this, I want to go other ways.”
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The international critics have generally shown respect for the film, although it did not move them. In The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney writes: “A work of impeccable elegance. Its structure, intricate and set in two timelines separated by two decades, fits perfectly; the magnificent performances of a cast that includes both regular actors and new talents; its careful visual aesthetics; and its intense melodrama.” Although he also points out: “The overwhelming melancholy of those rancheras does not correspond to a similar depth of feeling in the narrative(s).”
For Guy Lodge, of Variety, “as self-referential as Pain and Glory, but without the deeper personal resonance of that film, this film competing in Cannes is the quintessence of classic Almodóvar, but not his style: entertaining.” On the other hand, IndieWire, which had given very negative reviews to his recent titles, this time comments: “Almodóvar returns with a fun metadrama full of unexpected twists.”
Deadline assures: “It is a minor work of Almodóvar, it is unlikely to be the one that grants him the Palme d’Or that was unjustly denied for so long, but nevertheless, it is an imperfect film that remains a fascinating look inside the mind of the master,” and for Peter Bradshaw, of the British newspaper The Guardian, “the result is a complex modernist noir melodrama, somewhat confusing, almost surreal, and an open-ended soap opera of the kind he usually offers.”
In France, Cahiers du Cinéma dedicated the cover last November to Almodóvar and his Autofiction (title under which it is commercially released in France today, Wednesday), and they consider it one of his best films. Sandra Onna, from Liberation, points out: “The Madrilenian continues his introspection as an author tormented by doubt, started in Pain and Glory, with two masterpieces for the price of one and a melancholic fantasy.”
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