Young Critics Lab

22 décembre 2025

Interview with José Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi

By Marine Mossot

Maspalomas tells the story of Vicente, an elderly gay man who decides to hide his sexual orientation after moving to a nursing home. I met the directors at Les Arcs Film Festival, where it won the Cineuropa Award – and they were very open-minded and conscious of the world we live in. The film will be released in mid 2026.

Your movie is about homosexuality, yet I was surprised that it was never viewed through the lens of love. Why did you make that choice?

José Mari Goenaga: The film was more psychological. It’s a journey towards self-acceptance. We should defend homosexuality separately from love because love can be used as an excuse. It’s more about how to cope with being homosexual when you feel outside the system, in a world where everyone assumes you are heterosexual. At the same time, if you are an elderly man, everybody will think you don’t even have sex. You have to be strong enough to raise your hand and say: “Ok, I’m different”. 
I wanted to talk about the small, silent forms of violence you face every day. They don’t always have to be insults. They’re more subtle.

Your movie takes place in Maspalomas. How did you discover this community and what surprised you about it?

Aitor Arregi: It was his idea from the outset. In 2016, he went to Maspalomas and said to the production company: “It’s an interesting place to shoot a film and to set the story”. Afterwards, I read this article about elderly gay men going to nursing homes and suppressing their sexual identity because of the hostility of the people around them. I’d never been to Maspalomas before. I didn’t even know it was the main gay tourist destination in Europe. It’s a totally different world with different parameters. I remember being shocked to find myself in a place where 50 000 men were having a party. One of the most interesting things cinema can offer you a chance to experience a completely different world.

JMG: It was a kind of microcosm we are not used to seeing. We realized how elderly people are treated. There is a major issue regarding their sexuality and it hasn’t been properly addressed in cinema. We live in a society that erases this reality, but it exists – also in nursing homes, where workers face the sexual reality of the residents every day. The most important goal of the film is to show it, because when you don’t have any references, you can’t develop. The same thing happened with homosexuals a few decades ago. Everybody deserves references to help them find their place.

In the film, there are lots of scenes with entirely naked men. Did you work with actors or people from the Maspalomas community?

AA: It’s a mix. The main character is a very well-known actor in the Basque Country and during sex scenes, we mostly see porn actors. Someone on the team suggested contacting people who are used to having sex on screen and who could be professional during filming. The casting team also contacted the community in Maspalomas. There was a long list of those who were interested, but with specific conditions: some were OK with being naked, some weren’t, and some were only OK with being bottom naked. One of our objectives was to show the reality of Maspalomas.

JMG: The community there wanted to present their world properly. The same happened with the nursing home. Both of these communities were very motivated to help us.

Did you work with an intimacy coordinator?

AA: Yes, it was our first time. They were very helpful. Our lead actor, a 75-year-old man with a large filmography, had never been in a sex scene before. They documented everything we wanted to do and explained it to Vicente (played by José Ramón Soroiz) with patience and empathy. It would have been easy to reduce the sex scenes, but they were fundamental to the film. They also helped with choreographing them.

JMG: We contacted José Ramón one year before filming. He had time to prepare mentally, and the coordinators came later. There was always an elephant in the room because we kept putting off the conversation about sex scenes. Ultimately, he didn’t refuse almost anything. I think he was more concerned about exposing his body than the sexual acts themselves. Then we started rehearsing, but without performing the acts, so you go into the shoot with that lingering doubt: How is he going to cope when we say “action”? What was incredible was that José Ramón gave his all and was very generous to this character, despite him being a very insecure, anxious man who always doubts himself.

The nudity of elderly men is initially surprising, but it’s also interesting to see bodies that are rarely seen in cinema. For me, it’s linked to the body-positive movement. What’s your opinion on this? 

JMG: When I went to Maspalomas, it was precisely the sight of elderly men on the beach, completely at ease with their bodies, that caught my attention. It’s important to show different body types.

AA: As spectators, we love it when an actor shows his body without trying to look attractive. Mostly you are watching a star who goes to the gym, has a great body and puts in a lot of effort to maintain that image. Or the opposite: a guy who eats a lot and becomes big, trying to win an Oscar. You don’t usually see someone who doesn’t intend to show off their physique, just a regular guy. For example, I appreciate Joaquin Phoenix because he’s not worried about his image – he’s just who he is. 

Do you think male directors like you can change the concept of the so-called male gaze?

JMG: I hope so. We are very conscious of it. I’m gay and you [Aitor Arregi] are straight, but I am cis normative. I look like a man, so I am also quite privileged. Being conscious of that is the biggest step. We try to work from this place.

AA: I agree. Maspalomas showed me my privileged situation and how I was educated by the male gaze. We all are. Things are slowly changing, also thanks to the many female directors of the past 20 years. It’s utopian and very ambitious to change the whole paradigm, and you absolutely need the help of straight men. They are fundamental allies. 

Do you consider coming out to be a one-off event or an ongoing struggle?

JMG: Each time you have to face a new situation or context, and it’s up to you to decide whether or not to reveal your identity. You might not have to say it explicitly, but you have to act accordingly. I wanted to show this daily struggle, as you said. It’s not just about a man who goes back into the closet – maybe he never left it completely? You’re always one foot in and one foot out. 

The film also asks the question: If we’re out, where are we? Gay people can be found in Maspalomas, in gay bars or on apps, but such safe spaces are rare. What are your thoughts on the evolution of LGBTQ+ acceptance? Especially in light of the rise of extremist and authoritarian governments around the globe?

AA: It’s in danger. The film is also about how social achievements and liberties are won, and how easily they can be lost. Now, you see extremists opening debates that were definitely closed. That’s very bad news.

JMG: Our first feature film was For 80 Days in 2010. It was a love story between two elderly women. When we made it, we didn’t consider the possibility that certain rights could be lost. The ideology of the extreme right is growing stronger each year, but we must defend our rights. Otherwise, we are going to lose a lot.

AA: A Catalan politician said that the bully and the bad guy are well-seen in this world. That’s a big problem. The biggest bastard has some prestige when he speaks up. Fortunately, I think we still have the opportunity to stand up to them. If extremists gain power in Spain or in France, I hope we will have the strength to peacefully oppose them. 

Education about progressive ideas is always aimed at young people, as if we couldn’t educate older ones. Is that the reality?

JMG: At an LGBTQ+ foundation in Madrid, someone told us this is not the case. People can learn and be educated even at 95. We should make this effort. In the film, there is a psychologist who perhaps didn’t react the right way when Vicente told her: “I’m homosexual.” But workers have to face the opening up of the institutions.

AA: It’s easier to become cynical when you get older, but some older people are also very curious to learn new things. It’s a question of attitude. What are you doing for yourself? Do you want to be cynical or do you want to be more open-minded? 

I also think young people can’t give up on educating them. Last question: what are the best and most challenging aspects of working as co-directors? 

AA: We have been working like this since the beginning, so we can’t compare it to anything else. During the long process of making a film, it’s important to share your opinion and discuss with a partner, even if it’s exhausting. We are happy to work like that.

JMG: If you share the responsibility, the weight is lighter. You can rely on another person, but there is a disadvantage: what is our authorial stamp if there are two or three directors? This is our sixth feature and we discovered that our voice is the result of creative tension between us. It’s a unique collective voice. People directing alone have to be very strong to keep the whole team moving in the same way. I don’t know if I could direct on my own.