Hidden Away (2014 film)

Hidden Away (Spanish: A escondidas) is a 2014 Spanish romantic drama film directed by Mikel Rueda.[1] Filmed in neighbourhoods throughout Bilbao, Rueda's goal was to create a scene that could be from any neighbourhood in any city. Rueda dedicated the project to Álex Angulo, a Basque actor who died in a car crash in July 2014.[2][3] Themes that are present throughout the film are adolescent first love, sociocultural dilemmas, racism and deportation, and connecting emotionally through some of these barriers.[4][5]

Hidden Away
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMikel Rueda
Produced by
  • Eduardo Barinaga
  • Fernando Díez
  • Karmelo Vivanco
Written byMikel Rueda
Starring
  • Germán Alcarazu
  • Adil Koukouh
  • Joseba Ugalde
  • Eder Pastor
  • Moussa Echarif
  • Mansour Zakhnini
CinematographyKenneth Oribe
Edited by
  • Alex Argoitia
  • Mikel Rueda
Production
company
  • Baleuko
  • Bitart New Media
Distributed byVértigo Films
Release date
Running time
96 minutes
CountrySpain
Language
  • Spanish
  • Arabic

Summary

The film follows Rafa and Ibrahim, two teenage boys that befriend each other. Ibrahim is a Moroccan immigrant who does not want to return home. Lost and desperate in the streets of Bilbao, he meets Rafa. Rafa is a typical Spanish middle-class boy that is having problems with his friends and pressures around his sexuality. Once they meet each other, they become inseparable. Rueda captures their friendship as they navigate through Ibra's deportation, racism and their sexual identities.

Cast
  • Germán Alcarazu as Rafa
  • Adil Koukouh as Ibra
  • Joseba Ugalde as Guille
  • Moussa Echarif as Youssef
  • Ana Wagener as Alicia
  • Álex Angulo as Jose

Conversation

Rueda wanted to center the idea of adolescence and homosexuality in the discussion around Hidden Away. In his own words, he felt that most areas of society feel uncomfortable talking about the sexuality of teenagers.[6] One of interesting aspects of his casting is that he did not want to limit the actors to identifying as gay themselves. His logic behind this process was that by limiting who could audition, the turnout would be lower and he might not find the actors that he was looking for.[6] The result were two actors who were not gay—-or at least Rueda is unaware of their sexuality. While the process was difficult for both actors, they found that their innocence and transition with discomfort was not that far from what someone who is in the closet at their age would have to confront. Additionally, Adil had a serious connection with Ibra's character as a Moroccan immigrant who had personally experienced racism himself. Despite critics who noted the lack of sexual activity between the two actors, Rueda maintains that the sexual nature of their relationship was not the purpose of the film, but rather the moments before sex and the feelings that one cannot control emotionally.

Rueda found that the relationship between Moroccan adolescence and queer adolescence had parallel realities that he attempted to explore in the creation of this film. He felt that the way that Spain treats both demographics pushed them to live a escondidas or "hidden away". Rueda contents that Spain lives in a bubble where anyone who challenges that normativity threatens to pop that bubble, and this creates fear in the normative community. Therefore, some people must live hidden away within, or outside that bubble.[7]

Awards

Although Hidden Away did not win any awards, it was nominated four times. It was also presented at the first LGTBI Life Festival at La Institución Ferial Alicantina (IFA).[8][9][10]

  • Feroz Award, ES: Best Poster (Priscila Clementti).
  • Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival: Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Award (Mikel Rueda).
  • Queer Lisboa: Best Feature Film (Mikel Rueda)
  • Spanish Actors Union: Film: Performance in a Minor Role, Female (Ana Wagener)

References
  1. Holland, Jonathan (26 March 2014). "Hidden (A escondidas): Malaga Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  2. Jiménez, Eneko Ruiz (7 October 2014). "Mikel Rueda dedica su película 'A escondidas' a Álex Angulo". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  3. 'A escondidas' - RTVE.es (in Spanish), 10 October 2014, retrieved 14 May 2018
  4. 20Minutos. "A escondidas - El cine en 20minutos.es". 20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  5. Lavado, Adrián (10 October 2014). "'A escondidas': Amor desde la frontera". e-cartelera (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. Gómez Cascales, Agustín (9 October 2014). "'A escondidas', o ese primer amor gay adolescente". Shangay. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  7. Padrón, Elena. "Mikel Rueda habla sobre su drama gay adolescente "A escondidas"". noticine.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  8. "Música, espectáculos y cine, en el I Festival LGTBI de Alicante". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  9. Rodríguez, Daniel (24 February 2018). "Toño Abad: "Todavía hay cierta LGTBfobia en el marco laboral"". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  10. INFORMACION. "IFA acoge el primer festival LGTBI de Alicante". Retrieved 14 May 2018.
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