I found Hidden Away on a list of LGBT movies from 2014. I guess it is that, technically and in the barest sense, but it's so much more.
I didn't know what I expected going in but it certainly wasn't what I got coming out of it. I think I'm so used to these young/coming of age films being stereotyped to the hilt that I imagined this would be yet another one of those. Boy was I wrong. Even as I write this, I still don't really know what to say.
Firstly, it's a lovely film about friendship. The friendship that blossoms between two unlikely characters. The friendship between two best friends going down separate paths. And the realization that just because you belong to the same social group, it doesn't mean that the people within that group represent you or your beliefs. For Rafa, and Ibra too to a lesser extent, it's a lesson that is learned throughout the film.
It's interesting how their lives mirror each other in this respect yet for all that it's similar, it's also extremely different. Rafa has a nice, if tediously repetitive, life with school, a full social calendar and parents he either dislikes(father) or finds annoying(mother). Ibra, on the other hand, is a literal fish out of water. Not only is he alone, with no family or community for support, but he's in a land that rejects him for something that's beyond his control. He's forced to do things that compromise who he is in order to survive. And he says repeatedly in the film that he has no friends. Until, one day, he does. I have to say that my favourite friendship in the film is the one between Rafa and Guille. He was the only good one in the bunch, the only one Rafa acknowledges as a real friend. From the beginning to the end, Guille is always there keeping watch, sometimes literally over Rafa's shoulder.
Secondly, the film brings light to the Xenophobic policies and attitudes of many countries. Ibra and others like him, who came to the country and have been there for many years, face deportation under the guise of repatriation: a sudden "discovery" of a distant family member that no one has ever seen or heard of. Except, miraculously, the government. The movie Xenia, another "gay" film, addresses the same issue, with a pair of brothers, one who happens to be gay, facing deportation despite being born in the country within which they reside. The overtly racist attitudes of the people, often violent, is exemplified by the multiple clashes between Rafa and Ibra's social groups. That and the suspicious nature of every clerk/store owner whenever Ibra or one of his "kind" walks into their business.
Now, for the "love" story. Is there one? Certainly. But anyone expecting or hoping for passionate embraces, torrid make out sessions or any kind of nudity/sex is going to be sorely disappointed. But that's honestly what I love about it. What few moments of affection they share (that aren't disguised as roughhousing) are tentative and all the more sweet for it. Keep in mind that these characters are supposed to be kids still. Rafa's "friends" constantly pressure him to be with a particular girl who likes him, to have sex with her because that's what they're supposed to want to do at their age. The girl is willing and Rafa tries at one point but ultimately he ends up where he truly wants to be: with Ibra.
There were far too many insurmountable obstacles so it's not really surprising that the movie had the ending that it did. I often moan about gay/gay-youth films having bad/unhappy endings but this one was truly unavoidable. For what it's worth, the ending was really touching, though. Sad but perfect.
In conclusion, this film is for everyone. It's beautifully directed and acted (major props to the young actors, especially Rafa/German), it deals with important issues, thus it's also educational, and it has the ability to reach a variety of audiences. If you're looking for a gay-themed film and you're concerned that the lack of romance will make this a waste of time, trust me: you won't feel that way by the end.
I didn't know what I expected going in but it certainly wasn't what I got coming out of it. I think I'm so used to these young/coming of age films being stereotyped to the hilt that I imagined this would be yet another one of those. Boy was I wrong. Even as I write this, I still don't really know what to say.
Firstly, it's a lovely film about friendship. The friendship that blossoms between two unlikely characters. The friendship between two best friends going down separate paths. And the realization that just because you belong to the same social group, it doesn't mean that the people within that group represent you or your beliefs. For Rafa, and Ibra too to a lesser extent, it's a lesson that is learned throughout the film.
It's interesting how their lives mirror each other in this respect yet for all that it's similar, it's also extremely different. Rafa has a nice, if tediously repetitive, life with school, a full social calendar and parents he either dislikes(father) or finds annoying(mother). Ibra, on the other hand, is a literal fish out of water. Not only is he alone, with no family or community for support, but he's in a land that rejects him for something that's beyond his control. He's forced to do things that compromise who he is in order to survive. And he says repeatedly in the film that he has no friends. Until, one day, he does. I have to say that my favourite friendship in the film is the one between Rafa and Guille. He was the only good one in the bunch, the only one Rafa acknowledges as a real friend. From the beginning to the end, Guille is always there keeping watch, sometimes literally over Rafa's shoulder.
Secondly, the film brings light to the Xenophobic policies and attitudes of many countries. Ibra and others like him, who came to the country and have been there for many years, face deportation under the guise of repatriation: a sudden "discovery" of a distant family member that no one has ever seen or heard of. Except, miraculously, the government. The movie Xenia, another "gay" film, addresses the same issue, with a pair of brothers, one who happens to be gay, facing deportation despite being born in the country within which they reside. The overtly racist attitudes of the people, often violent, is exemplified by the multiple clashes between Rafa and Ibra's social groups. That and the suspicious nature of every clerk/store owner whenever Ibra or one of his "kind" walks into their business.
Now, for the "love" story. Is there one? Certainly. But anyone expecting or hoping for passionate embraces, torrid make out sessions or any kind of nudity/sex is going to be sorely disappointed. But that's honestly what I love about it. What few moments of affection they share (that aren't disguised as roughhousing) are tentative and all the more sweet for it. Keep in mind that these characters are supposed to be kids still. Rafa's "friends" constantly pressure him to be with a particular girl who likes him, to have sex with her because that's what they're supposed to want to do at their age. The girl is willing and Rafa tries at one point but ultimately he ends up where he truly wants to be: with Ibra.
There were far too many insurmountable obstacles so it's not really surprising that the movie had the ending that it did. I often moan about gay/gay-youth films having bad/unhappy endings but this one was truly unavoidable. For what it's worth, the ending was really touching, though. Sad but perfect.
In conclusion, this film is for everyone. It's beautifully directed and acted (major props to the young actors, especially Rafa/German), it deals with important issues, thus it's also educational, and it has the ability to reach a variety of audiences. If you're looking for a gay-themed film and you're concerned that the lack of romance will make this a waste of time, trust me: you won't feel that way by the end.