MASPALOMAS

MASPALOMAS is a luminous, sensual drama set in the sun-drenched freedom of Gran Canaria, where desire, reinvention, and queer community flourish in open defiance of age and expectation. The next Chicago premiere from the QUEER EXPRESSION FILM FESTIVAL, the film offers a rare and deeply moving portrait of queer life later in life.

At its center is a 76-year-old man who has built a world defined by pleasure, independence, and self-expression—embracing the rhythms of Maspalomas with unapologetic vitality. But when that fragile sense of freedom is disrupted, the past he once escaped begins to close in. Family ties, buried truths, and unresolved histories resurface, forcing him to confront not only where he came from, but who he still has the courage to be.

Critics have praised the film’s emotional honesty and sensuality, highlighting its tender, unflinching look at desire and aging, and its refusal to look away from the complexities of queer identity later in life. The performances—especially by José Ramón Soroiz—have been noted for their depth and vulnerability, grounding the film in a lived-in authenticity that resonates long after the final scene.

What unfolds is both intimate and expansive: a story of longing, resilience, and the radical act of choosing oneself—again and again. At once sensual and deeply human, MASPALOMAS explores the complexities of identity across generations, asking what it truly means to live authentically when time, memory, and desire collide.