This season’s Spanish queer film – which is bold and extremely proud of what it is, doing anything but holding back with its explicit images – is titled Maspalomas [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], since it unfolds in that very Canary Islands enclave where being heterosexual is something of a rarity. It is there, among the dunes full of enticing “surprises”, that this feature kicks off, helmed by two members of the Moriarti team, Aitor Arregi and José Mari Goenaga, who (together with the third member of this artistic “throuple”, Jon Garaño) were behind the films Marco [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Aitor Arregi e Jon Garaño
scheda film], The Endless Trench [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño e…
scheda film], Giant [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Aitor Arregi e Jon Garaño
scheda film] and Flowers [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] as well as the series Cristóbal Balenciaga [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda series], among others. Their new work is currently vying for the various metallic Shells up for grabs at the 73rd San Sebastián Film Festival, with a strong chance of taking one home.

The plot introduces us to Vicente (played by an endearing Jose Ramón Soroiz), a cheerful 76-year-old who is finally living the life he loves in Maspalomas: he spends his days sunbathing, partying at the Jumbo leisure centre and seeking out pleasure… Until an unexpected accident forces him to return to San Sebastián and reconnect with his daughter (Nagore Aranburu, the festival’s most ubiquitous actress this year, appearing in four titles), with whom he has barely been in touch. Thus, the good-natured Vicente must move into a care home where – given the circumstances – he finds himself pushed, very much against his will, back into the damned closet, hiding a part of himself he thought he had long come to terms with.

In this way, the drama compares and contrasts two worlds: the hedonistic, lascivious and luminous south of Gran Canaria, and the grey, lifeless and rainy San Sebastián. One is the homosexual paradise of a man who came late to living life honestly and freely (so he tries to make up for lost time at all costs); the other is a social prison where being oneself can prompt rejection and discrimination. And so, the poor man is unwillingly confronted with a past of deprivation and concealment he believed had been buried forever. In short, he’s living a nightmare.

But, as in the rest of the world – where fundamental rights seem to be rolling back dangerously – this character must also deal with a daughter with whom he still hasn’t resolved a conflict over his abandonment of the family home (look out for a fantastic dialogue about the Three Wise Men). In addition, the Moriarti team respectfully, authentically and insightfully place centre stage another topic that seems taboo, or hidden away in the closet: sexuality and love in old age. It’s an area rarely addressed in cinema (there are hardly any Spanish titles on the subject, two examples being La vida empieza hoy [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] and the documentary Un hogar sin armarios), which they already touched upon in their debut feature, the lesbian “bromance” For 80 Days [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film].

For all these reasons – and thanks to a splendid cast led by the central duo – Maspalomas emerges as a film that, like The Endless Trench, portrays concealments, fears and other forms of suppression, which can all be caused by ignorance, intolerance, a society prone to easy pigeonholing and poor communication.

Maspalomas was produced by Irusoin, Moriarti, Maspalomas Pelikula AIE and Bowfinger. Its international sales are handled by Film Factory, and Bteam Pictures will release it in Spanish cinemas this Friday, 26 September.