Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film, “Bitter Christmas” (Spanish title: “Amarga Navidad”), receives a warm reception at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie premieres in competition at the French festival, where multiple outlets report that it is met with a standing ovation lasting several minutes after its world screening. The Hollywood Reporter describes the response as “warm,” while Variety notes a reported 6.5-minute standing ovation. Deadline similarly reports a nine-minute ovation. The film also marks Almodóvar’s return to his native Spanish language after his English-language debut, “The Room Next Door,” which previously won at Venice. Almodóvar attends the Cannes premiere with key cast members including Barbara Lennie and Leonardo Sbaraglia, along with other ensemble cast members. The Deadline report characterizes the film as a melodrama that intertwines two storylines and reflects Almodóvar’s perspective. Across sources, the points of agreement are that the film is shown in Cannes’ main competition, that it draws significant audience applause at its debut, and that it represents a language and creative return for the director.