Ian de la Rosa’s feature directorial debut Iván & Hadoum is a tender love story set against the beauty of the coastal city of Almería in Andalusia.
Iván (Silver Chicón), a greenhouse manager anxiously awaiting a long-overdue promotion, and Hadoum (Herminia Loh), a recently hired Spanish-Moroccan worker, start having feelings for one another, but conflicts at work begin to threaten their growing bond. Iván being a trans man and Hadoum being an immigrant also raises the possibility of pushback from their families.
While the film navigates familiar terrain in its portrayal of workplace relationships, it is refreshing that the story does not hinge solely on Iván’s trans identity. The intimacy between them is captured exquisitely. A scene set in the greenhouse, partially shot with a thermal camera, stands out.
