It debuted at the 2018 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival[1] and was released theatrically by ABS-CBN on December 7, 2018 and on home video by Gravitas Ventures on October 1, 2019.

[3] On December 11, 2019, Bitter Melon was named one of "The 20 Best Bay Area Movies of the Decade" by The Mercury News[4] after having placed on numerous "Best of 2018" lists.

His original intention was to have a "needle drop film" with a soundtrack consisting only of licensed music from his childhood, mixing local heroes like Carlos Santana with 1960s R&B groups like The Delfonics as well as actual 1950s recordings of Filipino folk songs by Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company.

"[10] Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times called the film "absorbing" and "distinguished by its willingness to [go] to some disturbing places", but criticized the ending for "grind[ing] to a halt in its final third as the characters talk things out, which might be helpful in life but in drama tends to belabor the obvious.

"[13] Bitter Melon was made available on Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD as well as in Digital HD via Gravitas Ventures on October 1, 2019.