Hidden Away (2014) User Reviews

One that will stick with me for some time

[AyanaH · 8/10 · 12 January 2016]

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.

Simple as well as sensitive film about two teenagers are coming together , including wonderful songs

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 9 July 2015]

Heartfelt tale dealing with two teens , regarding themes of immigration and race , but done through the eyes of youth . The picture concerns about an agreeable friendship , taking place issues about love , xenophobia and racism . It stars Rafa (German Alcarrazu) to be aware at the age of 14 the world around you changes at a dizzying speed , as he is beginning to realise that maybe his friends are jerks and racists , something that becomes especially acute when they start to pressure him to get with girls , which he isn't interested in . Along with Ibrahim Adil (Adil Koukouh) , being a Moroccan immigrant unhappily living by selling drugs or ¨Coste¨ . Both of whom are going to suffer these changes for themselves , experiencing first love in a way they never could have imagined . Rafa doesn't really care about the politics but finds himself trapped between love, basic humanity and an indoctrination of societal attitudes, in this case that 'Arabs' are wastrel, criminal scum . So that initially he thinks that the biggest problem with befriending Ibra will be the disapproval of his friends , peculiarly if they realise his intentions aren't purely platonic , but is then thrust into a situation where the stakes are far greater than he realised . It becomes clear the Spanish authorities want to deport him , despite the fact he's underage and has nobody to go back to . Meanwhile , some social attendants (Ana Wagener , Alex Angulo) attempt to help Ibrahim . And having to keep him Hidden away .

Close drama with sensitive friendship , emotion , a moving romance and racist elements ; including enjoyable interpretations with outcast roles were pretty well developed . As their touching love story becomes extremely affecting , partly because it's so innocent and partly because it's under threat of being ripped apart so cruelly . This thought-provoking and brooding flick concerning sweet and heartbreaking story of first love given extra power by dealing with a moving portrait of racism , social prejudice and illegal immigration from Africa ; however , the picture relies heavily on the lively relationship among two protagonists . This can be the story of many faceless and nameless immigrants in any country that live in ¨Pisos Patera¨ and face uphill challenges all the way through their illegal immigration . As most of them share small apartments with other African immigrants and have menial jobs or selling dope to survive . Indeed the most effective aspect of the movie is taking what is a relatively simple story , but moving us through two young boys , but in a relatively subtle way and always through the eyes of the main roles . It may be nothing new , indeed except for immigration/racism story has been told many times , but it is charming, sometimes moving and it works . As other films referring illegal immigration/racism result to be the followings : Bwana (1996) by Imanol Uribe with Andres Pajares , Maria Barranco , ¨Cartas a Alou¨ (1990) by Montxo Armendariz with Eulàlia Ramon , Mulie Jarju ; ¨Ilegal¨ (2003) by Ignacio Vilar with Lucía Jiménez and Chete Lera and ¨The suit¨or El Traje by Alberto Rodríguez with Eugenio Roca and Manuel Moron .

Main actors and support players give splendid performances . Both German Alcarazu and Ramón Agirre as Rafa and Ibra put in extremely nice acting , which is key to ensuring Hidden Away works, as it is so based around their roles' experiences, particularly Alcarazu as a teenage boy on the verge of becoming a man , who is in virtually every scene . It may not totally get to the heart of some of the themes it raises , but it results in an exciting fresco with social fable , emotion , racism and by the end manages to be pretty touching . The motion picture was well directed by Mikel Rueda in his second one , his first was titled "Stars to Wish Upon" . Here he does a very good job of taking you into a world where what should be simple first love is threatened by a host of issues outside the lovers' control . It achieved Feroz Awards, 2015 Nominated Best Poster and Spanish Actors Union and 2015 Nominated Award of the Spanish Actors Union Film : Performance in a Minor Role, Female , Ana Wagener . The film is dedicated to Alex Angulo with these words : ¨Estes Donde Estes , Gracias Por Tu Cariño¨. Alex Angulo who recently died by car accident was a veteran actor , Alex De La Iglesia's usual , who starred a lot of films such as ¨Action Mutante¨, ¨El Dia De La Bestia¨, ¨Muertos De Risa¨, ¨Live Flesh¨ , ¨El Gran Vazquez¨ and ¨Pan's labyrinth¨ .

Wow! Heartbreaking! A fun and sad story about friendship

[chenggaga · 8/10 · 13 March 2017]

At first I'm gonna tell you how i found this movie. i am a EX- Muslim by the way. i have a friend who lives in Germany. i always hated Muslim refugees so he told me that i should watch this movie. so i watched it. i really loved this movie, you don't have to be a gay to watch this kind of movie, i know the meaning of true friendship. who cares if they are boy and loved each other. you can find friendship,love and emotion on this movie, and suffering.

i don't know how should i write review about this movie.

its so sad that Homophobea is a disease and spreading around the world like a cancer.

But it was more than that. Once upon a time i was homophobic person. I hated gays and lesbians more than i hate imaginary gods. I after realized that homosexuals are humans to People, if you don't like this types of movies then don't watch. But stop saying nonsense about this. I'm from Bangladesh, a country with so much ignorance and hate. But i came to light, it's time for you to come out too.

I've lost my best friend, and i miss him a lot...

Decidedly a solid creation for target audience

[BeneCumb · 7/10 · 25 February 2016]

In the world heavily dominated by film works coming from English- speaking countries, it is, from time to time, interesting to get the feel what's going on in other areas. Spain is certainly not an unknown country regarding films, but most of its directors are too sophisticated for me. The advanced information I obtained regarding A escondidas and its "normal" duration made me dedicate the time to it.

Coming of age and out in a country with a high number of not-like- minded immigrant and refugee communities should be a basis for an intense and versatile story where different aspects of human values and understanding can be disclosed in catchy ways. In my opinion, the filmmakers here have not exploited their options in full: the tune and aims are set forth too plainly, and there are discrepancies between the pace and the use of flashbacks, often disturbing to comprehend the course of events. The choice of young actors is great, but there is a limited development of characters, many interesting benchmarks remain in-process until the end.

But as I mentioned, I am not among the target audience, and for certain juveniles, it is apparently a good work to follow. However, the possible audience could be limited by the fact that it has been proclaimed as a LGBT film, although it is far from being a primary topic and mode of expression here.

An interesting little film

[Rueiro · 7/10 · 6 December 2017]

I began watching this little known film only because of its gay love story, not expecting it to be anything remarkable. It is not, but I was quite surprised to find a decently good story with a handful of talented young debuting actors that made a great impression on me and left me rooting for the two main characters. Being shot in a semi-documentary style and entirely on location, it gives the story a feel of authenticity, and the youngsters are so natural before the camera, so Spanish-teenage in the way they speak, joke, horseplay, swear, talk dirty and quarrel that it took me back to my own teenage years. The only fault that I find is that the two main characters are supposed to be 14-16 years old, but it is pretty obvious that the actors are at least 18-19 and that can't fool anyone, come on. The age of consent in Spain currently is 14 years both for straight and gay sex, but it looks like the filmmaker was afraid of stepping over the PC-crap line or something had he used actors of that age. There is no sex scenes at all in this film, only a few harmless kiss shots. In the 1964 French film "Les Amities Particulieres" (This Special Friendship), a 17-18 year-old boarding school senior pupil falls in love with a cherubic 12-year-old junior. And Didier Haudepin was only 13 when he made the film. We are moving backwards.

Mindblowing

[carlesmiquel · 10/10 · 6 April 2015]

When you have a fantastic script, a serious director and the perfect cast it's almost impossible not to make a good film. Well, with A Escondidas (Hidden Away... not the best translation) Director Mikel Rueda set a new standard.

The story is overwhelming in a subtle, almost muted sense, but overwhelming anyway. The sound landscapes, the colours, the music, and some almost illogical sequences push the audience into a roller-coaster of unnerving feelings and cast a deep shadow not seen but felt throughout the journey of the film.

That journey will leave scars, that may heal someday with love.

It's a journey of self-discovery, of life, of hate, of love. The characters will get you to places you don't want to go, but you have to, you simply can't shake the grip of their hands... they want to show you what's going on inside them.

Some scenes are masterful pieces of acting. There will be a moment in which your heart will explode with emotions and that can't be helped, nor undone. You'll be smitten. You'll be pulled in a world you don't want to know anything about, yet -you will.

Calling these young actors superb is not an overstatement. It's exactly what they are. Maybe the most beautiful thing is revealing what's happening inside your soul through your eyes, and these kids did it without flinching. Not only believable, they are real.

Carrying most of the weight of the film is Germán Alcarazu when he was 15 playing the part of Rafa . Pairing with best friend Guille (Joseba Ugalde) and new Moroccan friend Ibra (Adil Koukouh), he's our guide. Their friends will show us what denial and real love are about.

Since my intention is not to reveal the story, please watch the film. You'll be rewarded with pure magic.

The (secret) feelings left behind

[him090296 · 1 April 2022]

Do you have a good friend who goes far? The (secret) feelings left behind.

My biggest stumbling block while watching this movie is the inconsistency in frame rate, sometimes it's too fast, jumps to another scene suddenly, and the transitions are sometimes too rough. And there is the use of flashbacks that get in the way of understanding the flow of events.

Now let's talk about its greatness. It's a very seldom chosen topic, so it's great. This film portrays illegal immigrants very well. I think this film is more about good friends who care about you, make you comfortable, than gay love story. Nevertheless, the film can still be classified as a gay romance. Rafa-Ibra bond is relatively small (compared to other gay movie) but it has a deep meaningful impact. This is a film about life's struggles, self-discovery, adolescence and all that comes with it, for better or for worse. For me, Rafa's friend Guille (if I'm not wrong) stole the show by giving Rafa money in the last scene. It's a great movie for teenagers to accept themselves and others as they are.

Bait and switch. Still a good movie, but I feel jipped.

[manuelasaez · 7/10 · 4 March 2024]

So, of course this is a gay film about boys who realize their hidden feelings for one another, lots of drama, furtive glances, hidden desires bubbling to the surface. We get it. That's why we watch these movies, to see two dudes realize they like each other and consummate that somewhere within the hour and half movies of this ilk are allotted to tell their stories.

But not once in this entire film do the boys even so much as hold hands, let alone kiss. I was expecting at least a small peck, even a romantic caress, a passionate kiss in the rain. For the entire movie, we are given the suggestion, the inkling, the promise that they were going to fall in love and that we were going to see the full force of that love presented on screen. The most we got was a few dream sequences where they almost kiss, some horseplaying that almost leads to a kiss, and a scene in the bathroom where they almost kissed, but their lips did not touch once throughout this entire movie.

Now I'm not saying this as someone that watches these movies solely for that, but when you have a romantic film (even if it's gay), show some damn romance! It might have as well been a bromace for all that happened! I've had more intimacy with some of my straight friends than was shown in this movie. I guess since they were teenagers they had to limit what was shown, but I've seen similar films that had no problem showing love between boys or men, no matter how little of it is actually shown.

This is why I titled my review "Bait and switch'; they baited you with a promise of a sweet love story where two boys fall in love, and it was more like two friends share some super intimate moments without showing any of it on screen. It's still a good movie, great even, but don't make a gay movie and not have anything actually gay happen. Then it just becomes a disappointment.

Touching, Moving and Brilliant Spanish Film of Love

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 9/10 · 23 May 2015]

Original title for this Spanish gem is 'A escondidas'. Rafa is fourteen and hangs around with his mates – some of whom are less than mature. They are also very 'anti Arab' and display the usual teenage attitudes towards sex – being default heterosexual. He plays water polo in his spare time and then his path crosses with a strikingly good looking Moroccan boy called Ibrahim. Ibra as his friends call him lives in a hostel and has no-one back in his native home. The authorities though are falling over themselves to repatriate as many people as possible and do not always want the letter of the law getting in their way.

With that as the backdrop Rafa has an immediate liking for this new kid and goes out of his way to get the attention of Ibra. He is though crossing more than one line by so doing but Rafa is a tryer and god knows we all love one of them – this is their story.

This film is brilliantly acted with a script that gives life and clarity to a very real situation that most of us would never think we would be in. The music is excellent too I spotted the much under rated Fanfarlo in the mix but there is not a full listing on IMDb so I will keep an eye out for the other bands used here as they were all great.Yes this is essentially a gay themed drama but there is no bedroom antics – this is more about teen, first love under extreme circumstances and the friendship that such feelings can induce. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can highly recommend it to not just lovers of gay cinema but anyone who loves a ruddy good love story.

Friendship. Love. Adolescence.

[cucum · 10/10 · 2 October 2015]

"Hidden Away" is not an LGBT film (in a way yes, but it is not specifically that) It's a film about love, self-discovery, of adolescence and all that comes with it, whether good or bad. And is that adolescence crawls a lot of things, he comes out of nowhere and saturated you with information and new sensations you do not understand, do not accept and hide, and that is what is going on "hidden away". The plot tells a story of great love, but above all a great friendship, of those friendships we all hope to have at some point in our lives because it is so unique, so honest, faithful and full of love. View "hidden away" will make you think, about your life and about the lives of people around you, because we all live always hiding something. It has some of the songs that have reached me deep for synchronize a perfectly with the story. No more, "hidden away" is a movie to watch and re-watch and re-watch at any time of your life, as it will always find something new to feel identified and that will leave you thinking for a long time.

One of 2 movies I have every rated as a 9

[ascendant01 · 9/10 · 6 May 2016]

HIDDEN AWAY (originally "A escondidas" )

--- I very rarely give a movie a 9 rating, in fact I think this is only the second time I have and this movie fully deserves it. Some may not like this movie because it has some gay over tones but if you just let that pass you will see that is not what its actually about. If you are looking for sex scenes you will be wasting your time with "Hidden Away." This movie is first and foremost a genuine coming of age gemstone. It concerns a displaced Moroccan youth, Ibra, who is on the run from a quasi legal extradition order from the Spanish government which is in a full end run around its own laws to remove Arabs from its borders. Ibra, who appears to be about 16 has blown into the town where a 14 year old Spanish citizen, Raffa, resides. Ibra takes shelter at a youth hostel but has also run into the wrong company of another Arab who is a drug dealer. Raffa apparently lives a comfortable life in his home and is a rising star in his youth water polo team. He whiles away his days with his closest friend, Guille, playing water polo, smoking weed and playing video games and is accepted by his wide circle. But not all is as it seems and Raffa is now at that age where everyone is trying to force him into relationships with girls, and though he does not completely understand why, he is highly stressed by this and not at all comfortable. One evening at a local youth dance Raffa and Ibra lock eyes and Raffa is immediately drawn to this new interest in his life. Raffa goes against the normal adolescent heterosexual grain of his peers and begins working at gaining Ibra's attention. The two are both introspective and Raffa spends more and more time becoming friends with Ibra, to the detriment of his best friend Guille. However Guille is a true friend and accepts that his friend is experiencing something intense and lets him be. Eventually Raffa and Ibra begin a typical process of "sparking" as they become closer friends and eventually Raffa's friends find out the relationship is too close for their liking and he is excluded and then the extradition warrant comes a calling and everything goes south. The two boys run for it together and Raffa's one true friend, Guille, meets them and admits he doesn't understand but sheds tears with his friend as he realizes they are leaving possibly forever and he accepts Ibra because Raffa does. The movie is poignant and brings up what it is like for a boy's first love even when he doesn't first understand it. The whole process is so much better than how I have described it and if you really want to see a very touching coming of age movie I highly recommend "Hiding Away." I have told some of the story here but in no way anything but a fraction of it and you will realize this when you watch it. And I have completely left out the ending so you can experience that for yourself. It alone will touch you deeply as well as the aftermath.

--- Note: In the end credits you will see a message about the passing of Alex Angulo. He played the attendant at the youth hostel and was killed in a car accident in 2014 (Alex Angula born Alejandro Angulo León 1953 - 2014)

I'm AMAZED at how good this actually turned out!

[joeylugo · 10/10 · 18 May 2020]

This movie was much better than I thought it would be! I fell like it is just such a heart-warming/awwww type of movie. You can really see a connection build up between the characters and it has several passionate moments where it just seems so authentic. It's not about sex or anything, and it doesn't need to be. It's beautiful and I recommend it if you like to see gay movies about a an attraction between 2 people growing more intense and intimate.

So beautiful

[parislover · 10/10 · 3 October 2021]

A film so beautiful and sincere that made me cry and recall those days of innocence. Don't we need a sequel to tell us how to overcome barriers in life with love and courage? You should not miss this film gays or straights. The movie tells us lot more than a love story if you care about to have a better world. There is lot more areas we need to make effort to improve but first of all to work on ourselves to be a better global individual.

Exquisite performance

[prateeksinfinity · 10/10 · 11 February 2019]

A beautiful story of tragic racism and pure romance