Two women sit on a striped couch outdoors; one in red reads a book while the other in yellow stripes listens attentively.

Bitter Christmas

Film

Fri 28 Aug - Wed 2 Sept

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Details: 111 mins, Subtitled, 2026, Spain
Primary language: Spanish

Book Tickets

To break his writer's block, a filmmaker draws desperate inspiration from his closest relationships in this rich Almodóvar melodrama.

Raúl is a cult filmmaker in the midst of a creative crisis. When tragedy strikes one of his closest collaborators, he draws inspiration from it to write his next film. Little by little, he imagines Elsa, a filmmaker in the midst of writing a script, whose journey begins to mirror his own.

The two filmmakers become two sides of the same character, in a game of mirrors where the raw honesty of Almodóvar's autofiction reveals as much as it destroys. But how far can one go to tell a story?

Bitter Christmas on Tue 1 Sept are part of our Cinébites deal: get 30% off any main dish in the Café & Bar with a valid ticket for Club Shed members.
Please note: Bitter Christmas on Tue 1 Sept 14:40 is a Relaxed Visit.
Bitter Christmas on Fri 28 Aug 11:00 is an Elevenses screening. Get a free tea or filter coffee when you purchase a cake from the Café & Bar.

Wheelchair User Spaces

Event types:

Bite: Cinébites meal deal
ES: Elevenses screening
RV: Relaxed Visit

Fri 28 Aug

11:00 (ends 13:06)ES 15:00 (ends 17:06) 17:40 (ends 19:46)

Sat 29 Aug

11:50 (ends 13:56) 14:40 (ends 16:46) 17:40 (ends 19:46)

Sun 30 Aug

14:10 (ends 16:16) 19:30 (ends 21:36)

Mon 31 Aug

14:40 (ends 16:46) 17:50 (ends 19:56)

Tue 1 Sept

20:30 (ends 22:36)Bite

Wed 2 Sept

14:10 (ends 16:16) 17:40 (ends 19:46)

Join Club Shed for £20 and save 15% on tickets. Plus, get advance booking, discounts on food and more. Get membership and start saving today

Pricing

Unless otherwise stated the cost of cinema tickets is as follows:

Saver Mondays
£6.00 (plus 12% booking fee*) for Club Shed members, 24 and under audiences, and concession ticket holders

Screenings before 16:00 Tuesday to Friday and before 14:00 at weekends
£9.50 full (plus 12% booking fee*) / £7.00 concessions (plus 12% booking fee*).

Screenings after 16:00 Tuesday to Friday and after 14:00 at weekends
£12.00 full (plus 12% booking fee*) / £9.50 concessions (plus 12% booking fee*).

Aged 24 or under and refugees and asylum seekers
Tuesday - Friday before 16:00, Saturday & Sunday before 14:00 £6.50 (plus 12% booking fee*)
Tuesday - Friday after 16:00, Saturday & Sunday after 14:00 £7.00 (plus 12% booking fee*)

*Booking fee applies to online and phone booking only.

Buy a Club Shed membership and enjoy 15% off cinema and Undershed tickets, advance booking for special events, discounts in the Café & Bar and more.

Access

Cinema seat widths

Our cinema seats are 46cm wide, with wooden armrests on either side of each seat that can’t be moved.

We can provide seats without armrests or bean bags as alternatives at the front of the cinema if that is more comfortable for you. Please just call our Box Office on (0117) 927 5100 or book in-person to arrange.

Access Register

Join our Access Register to help us deliver the best possible experience for you. You can sign up to our Access Register online, or in person at Box Office or by calling (0117) 927 5100.

Further info

Our building is accessible, our staff are trained in basic BSL and Deaf awareness, we have toilets for everyone and we run an accessible programme of screenings, events and exhibitions. Find out more on our Access page.

Concessions

Concessions apply to Full Time Students, Job Seekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance, 66+ who have retired, Equity and BECTU members and disabled people.

Where applicable please produce proof of eligibility when collecting a ticket or showing your ticket at the entrance to the cinema.

Bitter Christmas

Subtitled screening