"A Necessary and Touching Film": Rated 3.9 out of 5, it's the must-see movie this week!

Currently in theaters, "Maspalomas" by Aitor Arregi and José Mari Goenaga boasts a press average of 3.9 out of 5 (on AlloCiné, from 18 outlets).

After being showcased at several prestigious festivals, Maspalomas by Aitor Arregi and José Mari Goenaga was released this week in our dark rooms. Led by the impressive José Ramón Soroiz, awarded best actor at the 40th Goya Awards, this touching drama about aging has been very well received by the French press: with an average of 3.9 out of 5, it is the best film of the week.

What is it about?

"Under the scorching sun of Maspalomas, in the Canary Islands, Vicente has been enjoying a carefree retirement for twenty-five years. But an accident tears him away from his paradise. Repatriated to Donostia, he is placed by his daughter in a nursing home where time seems frozen and the ghosts of the past resurface. Once again forced to conceal his identity, one idea obsesses him: to escape... and regain the freedom of Maspalomas."

What the press thinks:

According to Abus de Ciné:

"A necessary, touching film that transitions from the light of the Canaries to the coolness of the Cantabrian Sea, while never closing the door on hope." By Olivier Bachelard - 4/5

According to Le Dauphiné Libéré:

"José Ramón Soroiz is this gay retiree, a role as significant as the film itself. He was awarded best actor at the Goya Awards of Spanish cinema." By Nathalie Chifflet - 4/5

According to Le Figaro:

"José Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi deliver a touching film about the fate of a retiree forced to leave his Canary Island for a nursing home. And confront the homophobia of his own people." By Eric Neuhoff - 4/5

According to Les Fiches du Cinéma:

"The third co-direction of the duo Arregi / Goenaga captivates with its portrayal of queer and aging bodies, far from any ageism and fetishization." By Simon Hoarau - 4/5

According to Les Inrockuptibles:

"From almost every shot, José Ramón Soroiz embodies this man trapped in multiple ways [...] with a lovely burlesque poetry and a brilliant expressiveness that is conveyed largely through his eyes, what they say or, conversely, what they desperately try to hide. [...] A beautiful film, more sophisticated than it appears, about the resistance of being oneself." By Bruno Deruisseau - 4/5

According to Positif:

"Wonderfully supported by its actors, the film questions our gaze on aging and shows the fate reserved for it in these residences that constrain individuals and infantilize them [...]." By Pascale Thibaudeau - 4/5

According to Première:

"A film as raw as it is delicate that, much like the recent Jim Queen, tells of the still smoldering prejudices and taboos that continue to surround homosexuality." By Thierry Chèze - 4/5

According to Cahiers du Cinéma:

"While the screenplay does not escape a certain schematic nature of this before/after when Vicente is repatriated to the Basque Country, the confrontation with the family past is fortunately sketched with an energetic and brief gesture." By Charlotte Garson - 3/5