You could tell that the crew obviously did the best they could, and the filmmakers probably had a blast making it. I can't believe that they reportedly made people buy tickets to see this at EF, never mind putting out a DVD that cost $20 to buy. The plot? Other criticisms noted the low production values (obvious use of rental properties, minimal effort to hide modern appliances like air conditioners, insufficient lighting), the sacrifice of authenticity due to use of said rental properties (at one point a character dramatically slams their hands to a table, but does so in slow motion to avoid damaging the rental cabin's table), and a plot derided as nonsensical (with at least one critic comparing the pivotal character's motivation to the internet meme of "I was only pretending to be retarded"). Oh God why. | Was it because of the acting? Metacritic Reviews.

This movie was hyped up big time in the fandom.
"Bitter Lake" is a film that uses furry fandom as leverage to display its uniqueness, yet it feels like an award winning film crew directing a direct-to-DVD flick. [6], "Admiral effort, but still painfully bad". The fact that the fursuit heads didn't move and did not have expressions, caused the actors and actresses to have to make the body movements dramatic for different moods. Whatever the outcome, the fate of Valanor will be decided... at Bitter Lake.". Having just finished "Bitter Lake", the first confirmed furry film ever produced on a budget, I think it would be right to give credit where credit is due, being a furry myself. Bitter Lake, a movie created by furries in association with Eurofurence, was fairly well-hyped before it was finally screened at the convention and distributed on DVD. Produced by the crew and sponsored by Eurofurence, the film was shot on location in France and the Netherlands in 35mm HD, and premiered in Germany at Eurofurence 17 on August 2011. Clockwork Creature Studios' fursuits were chosen for their level of realism and because several members of the cast and crew already owned fursuits from this maker, which were then costumed for use in the film[4][3]. The fact that the fursuit heads didn't move and did not have expressions, caused the actors and actresses to have to make the body movements dramatic for different moods. If the characters were human it would make no difference to the story. User Ratings Bitter Lake has the dubious distinction of being one of the first live-action movies created specifically to cater to a furry audience; the entire thing is performed in full fursuits. Interminable at only 41 minutes long, the movie consists mostly of static dialog scenes as the characters first hold the actual peace talks, then switch briefly to a paranoid Who Dunnit when they start getting killed. Or will those that crave the blood and terror of war get their way? Here it is, the very first full-length furry movie ever produced. In fact, the entire plot boils down to "hurr durr I was only pretending to be retarded". Unbeknownst to the leaders of the four warring provinces this old enemy will stop at nothing to crush any hope of lasting peace. The cinematography? After more than a decade of peace the proud and noble kingdom of Valanor is suddenly torn apart by a terrible civil war. No of course not, the only reason this slop gets any credit is because it is the first "feature length" movie made by furries for furries. the DVD is no longer available. Not to be confused with the actual Bitter Lake in Seattle, Washington. The European PAL DVD was distributed by Black-Paw Productions. Bitter Lake, the Fursuit feature that was announced as premiering at this year's Eurofurence (and which has done so to generally favorable reviews) was also made available there on a region-free DVD, making it theoretically available for purchase by all Furry fans. The intro teases you with the idea of a civil war before giving you a big middle finger in the form of peace talks (which are fine in a well-written politically/philosophically driven film- which this is not). Short of it is it's boring. As each province prepares an envoy to find a diplomatic solution at the Kingdom's only neutral ground, an ancient and dark organization plots its return.
(. They obviously put a lot of effort into it, and it's not as bad as Anus Magilicutty or anything like that... but it's still terrible. After 12 years, when the dust settles and resources start to dwindle, the starving people of Valanor cry out for peace, forcing the leaders of Tier, Sinnah, Daneth and Osgard to lay down their arms and meet each other at the negotiation table. It may look amateuristic but I can tell you, it is certainly not. I do have to give the crew behind this credit for going to the lengths they went to to make this. The first problem is the story. Even for a measly 40 minutes. As a description of the movie...not quite. | Bitter Lake was nominated for the 2011 Ursa Major Awards for Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture. There's one short action scene near the end, and then it's right back to ceaseless prattle. After 12 years, when the dust settles and resources start to dwindle, the starving people of Valanor cry out for peace, forcing the leaders of Tier, Sinnah, Daneth and Osgard to lay down their arms and meet each other at the negotiation table. The NTSC version for the USA was distributed by FurPlanet. The film received mixed opinions from members of the furry fandom, saying that some scenes were slow in action. https://allthetropes.fandom.com/wiki/Bitter_Lake?oldid=776650. Unfortunately it seems that hype was poorly founded. Pathetic! With Ezwolf, Forfaox, Lucy RedPanda, Rin.