BITTER CHRISTMAS tells two alternating stories, one starring Elsa, an advertising director, in 2004, during a long weekend in December. The second takes place in 2026 and stars Raúl, a screenwriter and director who is writing a script that we soon discover is the story of Elsa, her boyfriend Bonifacio, and her friends Patricia and Natalia. Mixed with fiction, Elsa is, in a way, Raúl's alter ego, who, like him, resorts to autofiction as a solution to a long period of creative drought. He looks inside himself, and he can't help but also look at the people who make up his most intimate universe: his partner and his assistant. The film narrates the close relationship between reality and fiction, between inspiration and life, exploring the limits of autofiction and stories within stories.
*The 15:45 screening on Wednesday 23rd September will be open captioned (contain descriptive subtitles for deaf/hard of hearing audiences).
“A skilfully layered narrative, beautifully written and performed.” Shadows on the Wall
Sunday Sep 20, 2026 Wednesday Sep 23, 2026
Sun 20 Sep - 4:00pm
Mon 21 Sep - 8:00pm
Tue 22 Sep - 8:00pm
Wed 23 Sep - 3:45pm and 8:00pm
Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street, Cork City
€11/8.50
Printed courtesy of www.corkchamber.ie/ – Contact the Cork Chamber for more information.
Fitzgerald House, Co. Cork, T23 TD90 – 021 4509044 – info@corkchamber.ie