The films made by the Goths sometimes play with ironies that become paradoxes. On September 26th, Maspalomas, the new film by José Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi, the "Moriarti" Basque settlers who have already directed cult titles such as Handia and The Endless Trench, hits theaters. However, Maspalomas will be absent from its first public outing. The premiere will take place on September 23rd in Madrid, at the historic Cine Paz, with the southern town of Gran Canaria that gives the film its name not appearing on the initial schedule.
The film, starring José Ramón Soroiz and Nagore Aranburu, addresses a rarely discussed topic in Spanish cinema: coming out in old age. Vicente, a 76-year-old man who enjoys the freedom and hedonism under the Maspalomas sun, suffers an accident that returns him to San Sebastián and the walls of a nursing home where he must hide his sexual identity. A story about the weight of silence, unfinished business with family, and the dignity of being oneself when time seems to be running out.
The absence of Maspalomas—one of the most emblematic enclaves of European LGBTI tourism—at the premiere is striking, especially given that it's the eve of World Tourism Day. The destination, a symbol of openness and diversity, appears in the film as a space of luminous freedom in contrast to the shadow of coming out. However, at least on its first date with the big screen, its name will resonate far from the dunes and the Atlantic.
The national premiere does promise to rekindle the relationship between cinema and the south of Gran Canaria, a region that has been a set for international productions in recent decades and is now seeing its name reach theaters through an intimate and social story. The absence from the preview may be temporary: the tourist destination will have its own opportunity when the film officially premieres and the echo of Maspalomas returns, this time, to the streets of Maspalomas.
