Bitter Melon (film)
| Bitter Melon | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | H.P. Mendoza |
| Written by | H.P. Mendoza |
| Produced by | Mark Del Lima Brian Benson Michael Oberst |
| Starring | Jon Norman Schneider Patrick Epino Josephine de Jesus L.A. Renigen Theresa Navarro Brian Rivera Anna Ishida Vint Carmona |
| Cinematography | Juli Lopez |
| Edited by | H.P. Mendoza |
| Music by | H.P. Mendoza Marco D'Ambrosio |
Production company | Ersatz Film |
| Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures ABS-CBN Ersatz Film |
Release dates |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Ilocano |
| Budget | $200,000 |
Bitter Melon, is an independent 2018 American dark comedy film written and directed by H.P. Mendoza. It debuted at the 2018 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and was released theatrically by ABS-CBN on December 7, 2018 and on home video by Gravitas Ventures on October 1, 2019. The film's title refers to the tropical vegetable with a bitter flavor known in the Philippines as ampalaya.
The screenplay was based on Mendoza's experiences with physical abuse in his nuclear family as well as his extended family, originally written in 1997 under the title He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother based on the song by The Hollies.
On December 11, 2019, Bitter Melon was named one of "The 20 Best Bay Area Movies of the Decade" by The Mercury News after having placed on numerous "Best of 2018" lists.