Hidden Away (A Escondidas) (English Subtitled) [Blu-ray]

I am predisposed to offerings that feature Will Johnson, the remarkable Texas singer, writer, and painter, so "Hidden Away" hooked me as soon as the wistful tones of "Corner Cross" began to emanate a few minutes after the movie began. Johnson’s music, the backbone of the film’s soundtrack, sparks comment in many reviews of the film by Spanish critics, but a perplexed, even vexed, tone permeates these discussions.More surprised me than the music. Spanish director Mikel Rueda screened hundreds of young contenders to play the film’s two protagonists, and his effort paid off. Polished professionals could not, I imagine, have conveyed so utterly the bewilderment that swirls around Rafa and Ibra throughout the movie, but Rueda extracts startling work from his two young actors, Germán Alcarazu and Adil Koukouh. The wiry Alcarazu, plucked out of high school to play Rafa, sputters adolescent rage at his parents, lashes in fury at his bigoted classmates, and churns with confused resentment of his own emotions in an engrossing first performance, and is now a growing presence in Spanish film and on television.Koukouh, already appearing on television when Rueda cast him, plays Ibra, a young Moroccan migrant in a role that demands a tense subtlety. Brought to Spain in, literally, unspeakable circumstances, his stay constantly threatened by deportation, Ibra brags that he has no friends. As he slowly and warily acknowledges Rafa’s interest in him, and then begins to understand the depth of that interest, years of suffering allow him to display emotion only with great hesitancy. The barely-perceptible softening in his gaze as his friend bandages his injured knee could not set off more vividly Rafa’s wild gestures of longing, and speaks to Koukouh’s precision as an actor.Rueda’s disjointed sequencing in the film’s first half mirrors the confusion of his two main characters, but as they begin to understand their attraction, the narrative comes into focus; attentive viewers will soon enough assemble the fragments, just as Rafa and Ibra come to assemble their own disjointed emotions. Rueda leavens the film with other salutes to his audience’s intelligence – like the quiet symbolism of Rafa stepping away from his disappointed girlfriend as her pretty friends gather around her and we realize, in fact, that he is stepping away from much more.From the moment the opening credits roll, we know Rueda will be engaging us. After he courteously projects the names of cast members as the centerlines on a highway zoom by, the camera veers to a rusty can and other discarded objects thrown from the road. Only here does the director’s name appear. You see, he is telling us, my interests lie off at the side of the road: the refugee, the bully’s victim, the young person struggling to find his way. Rueda’s Basque heritage, and that of many of the actors and crew, weaves through the movie, and although filmed in Bilbao (where Rueda is from), we find ourselves nowhere near the glittering crowds at the Guggenheim. Middle-class apartments and refugee shelters, public school gyms and social service workers frame Rueda’s Bilbao.Álex Angulo, the renowned Basque actor, was born near Bilbao as well. He executes his small role, as a kind and tenacious guardian at a shelter for young immigrants, with graceful humor. His stout professionalism contrasts pleasingly with the novices surrounding him, as does that of Ana Wagener, another respected Spanish actor, whose character passionately shields refugees from looming deportations. One senses the genial influence of Angulo and Wagener in the work of the film’s young actors, and, perhaps, in that of its young director (Rueda was in his early 30s when Hidden Away was filmed) as well, especially poignant because Angulo died not long after filming concluded.For all the desire that charges through this film, it remains stubbornly chaste. Miki González, the Spanish-Peruvian rocker, famously belted out in one of his hits, “I do not sell no sex and I do not sell no violence….” Neither does Mikel Rueda. Two dimly-lighted, fleeting pecks on the lips appear in the 90-minute film, and a short scuffle in a nightclub is so obscured that viewers can barely see what is happening. This agitated some critics, and probably the film’s investors as well. But Rueda will have none of it. His modesty stems from his devotion to his audience and does not allow pandering. Challenge us, yes. Exploit us, no.I mentioned at the outset that some Spanish critics did not much like the film’s music either. It struck them as too fashionably “Indie.” The few who have heard of Will Johnson dismiss him, I suppose, as another oft-ridiculed American country singer. In one of the film’s early scenes, Rafa pursues Ibra down an empty alley, determined to introduce himself, and the opening notes of Johnson’s "Emma Jane," shot through with yearning, begin to unfurl. As Rafa stumbles forward, struggling to catch up with Ibra and occasionally looking back over his shoulder at his receding childhood, we understand that although the song is not about the lurching of a Spanish teenager toward a deeper perception of his own feelings, Johnson’s universality as an artist captures exactly that. And so does Rueda’s.

"Hidden Away" has many of the cookie-cutter gimmicks so often used in M/M love stories: the quiet not-yet-out kid ("Rafa"); the well-intended best friend ("Guille"); the mysterious is-he-or-isn't-he object of affection ("Ibra"); the group of friends with the homophobic leader, and the sports team (swimming). What's different is that we don't feel right off the bat that we've seen all this before. The entire tone of the film is quite low-key and the characters are so well developed that "low-key" absolutely does not mean "slow". This is a surprisingly likeable story that doesn't lean on the obvious, allowing a steady flow of interesting, well-developed events with a quiet surprise every now and then. Rafa is Spanish and Ibra is Moroccan, which apparantly is not the best of circumstances under which to form attatchments. But after their first initial meeting, something clicks, and Rafa is determined to persue his interest in Ibra, even if he takes chances that could be perceived as annoying. Sub-plots are minimal so there's none of the extra dramatics we often see; even the parents don't get all caught up and become stereotypical/hysterical. This is primarily about how two teen boys get to know each other and become unlikely friends. There are "montage" moments, but they're not overly cutesy. They actually give us more information on Rafa and Ibra. They get to the point where they know how they feel about each other, but none of the typical angst/anger/confusion gets in the way. It's not all easy, as Ibra is soon to be deported back to his country because of some vague paperwork problems. Again, it's a testament to the lean quality of the story, because we don't really care what the touble is, we just care about Ibra's fate, and how it affects Rafa. Guille, Rafa's best friend, goes through an emotional metamorphosis regarding his realization that he has not been quite the friend he professes to be. The realization scene is quite touching (and, no, neither Rafa or Guille are harboring secret attractions for each other!) which makes for a refreshing change.The young actors are all quite gifted, and they have a surprisingly mature understanding of the characters they play. It shines all through the film. The director knows just what he wants, and he gets quality performances all through the story. The soundtrack is easy rock/country sounding and works really well with the tenor of the plot. Photography is very well thought out, and the many subtle facial expressions are given a lot of attention. Since it's primarily a small urban locale, there are no lingering sunsets or close-ups of butterflies, spiders or waterfalls.The screenplay is excellent, and the sub-titles are well done and actually mesh with what's happening. It's not a complicated story, though it could have been, again a credit to the director and the writer."Hidden Away" is to the point and never loses focus. We have a sense that things may not turn out wonderfully, but we're never sure until the end. No spoilers here! Definitely worth a view, this is an intelligent, thought-provoking film. Definitely not an epic, but very entertaining in a quiet way.

The movie was pretty good and had an interesting setting and plot, but it was kind of dry. It left me unsatisfied in the end and I didn't dislike the movie nor did I love it. The main thing that bothered me about this movie though, is how bad the subtitles were timed to what was actually being said. It took away a lot from the dialogue and the emotion, because everything they were saying I didn't understand until way after they actually said it. Also, the translation just wasn't good. If you're going to watch this movie, I suggest finding it on a different website with better subtitles.

Muy buena película con diferentes tipos de temas a tratar definitivamente la recomiendo

Superbly acted much interesting love story in a come-of-age context. Thanks to a refined European direction and production.

mi nutro di emozioni, che sia un film, un videogioco, un libro, la vita reale... e questo film di emozioni ne ha da vendere... avevo visto il trailer qualche tempo fa ed incuriosito aspettavo una versione italiana, non vedendola arrivare mi sono deciso a comprare questa inglese...il film mi è piaciuto moltissimo, bella storia, raccontata senza eccessi, a volte sguardi e silenzi sono più importanti delle parole. Bravi gli attori German Alcarazu e Adil Koukouh, però una menzione particolare io la darei a Joseba Ugalde... un'interpretazione fantastica, soprattutto la scena con Rafa verso la fine del film. Un unico appunto... ai sottotitoli in inglese, il font utilizzato non dei migliori, le lettere a volte troppo attaccate tra di loro, già è complicato seguire un film leggendo i sottotitoli, quando i dialoghi sono veloci, se poi non sono facilmente distinguibili... la cosa si complica. Comunque attenderò pazientemente una versione italiana in Blu-Ray (anche se lo spagnolo è una lingua che adoro e sentire gli attori recitare nella loro lingua madre non ha prezzo). Consigliato...

Desde que la vi en Filmin tengo absoluta debilidad por esta película. La historia está muy bien llevada, sencilla dentro de su complejidad. Las actuaciones de los dos protagonistas son estupendas, se me hace dificil pensar que Mikel Rueda puediera haber escogido mejores actores para ello. Es una película que te va llegando sin esfuerzo. Es precioso contemplar como los dos tienen esa inocencia de los 16 años, en la manera de contestar, de mirarse, de comprender poco a poco lo que está pasando y a la vez sin llegar a entender. Están perfectos los dos.Si tenéis la oportunidad de verla os recomiendo no dejarla pasar.

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.