‘Ivan & Hadoum’ review: Low-key Spanish LGBTQ+ debut explores issues of class and identity

Dir/scr: Ian de la Rosa. Spain/Germany/Belgium. 2026. 100mins

In a busy commercial greenhouse in Almeria, southeastern Spain, attraction blossoms between forklift driver Ivan (Silver Chicon) and newly-hired packer Hadoum (Herminia Loh). But any possibility of romance is put under immediate strain by external forces – the expectations of family, their economic situation, their career aspirations. This low-key, accomplished feature debut from Spanish television director Ian de la Rosa follows a familiar star-crossed lovers narrative, but draws in potent contemporary issues of culture, identity and class.

A fresh and intriguing new entry into the LGBTQ+ space

When Hadoum arrives as a seasonal worker at the industrial agricultural plant co-founded by Ivan’s late father, Ivan is immediately taken with this dark-haired woman who exudes confidence and an independent spirit. Hadoum and Ivan knew each other at school, before Ivan transitioned, and the two easily reconnect. The spark between them is evident in a series of well-handled sex scenes – one effectively filmed through an infra-red camera in the factory greenhouse – and in the pair’s easy banter that slowly becomes infused with affection.

The fact that Ivan & Hadoum features a trans protagonist who is not characterised purely by his gender – nor his story consumed by his trans journey – marks it out as a fresh and intriguing new entry into the LGBTQ+ space, and should see it gain traction following its premiere in Berlin’s Panorama, where it won the Teddy award for Best Feature. 

Ivan is comfortable in his own skin, and his close-knit family support and accept him. It’s only when his burgeoning relationship with Hadoum begins to challenge his unwavering loyalty to factory owner and close family friend Manuel (Nico Montoya) – and, by extension, puts the family’s economic freedom into jeopardy – that Ivan’s older sister begins to talk of payback, of the considerable emotional and financial debt that Ivan owes their family.

While de la Rosa doesn’t dig deeply into Ivan’s backstory, he nevertheless makes it clear in subtle ways that Ivan is often othered by a community that would seem to embrace him. “If you were a real man, I’d give you a beating,” says Manuel at one point, while other co-workers refer to his “differences”. It’s understandable that Ivan would be keen to form a bond with Hadoum, who treats him as both desirable and an equal. That Hadoum’s Moroccan heritage also stands her apart, as an interloper who is tolerated rather than welcomed, gives them a natural alliance.

Yet, interestingly, it’s not so much issues of identity that stand in their way, but of social standing and mobility. With Ivan seemingly on a fast track to warehouse management, an ideological gulf begins to open up between him and Hadoum, who is keen to unionise her fellow pickers in the face of potential job losses.

De la Rosa’s approach is natural and organic; he undertook two months of rehearsals with Chicon and Loh before filming began, and that comes to the fore in their unmannered, quiet performances. This is not a film of overt soapboxing or activism, there is no dynamic messaging in de la Rosa’s screenplay nor his creative choices. Cinematography from Beatriz Sastre positively revels in the sun-drenched landscape of Almeria while, in the absence of a traditional score, Ingrid Simon’s sound design foregrounds elemental sounds – crashing waves, bird call – that suggest a feeling of optimism. Against this background, Ivan & Hadoum plays as a relevant, resonant exploration of how the romantic ideals of connection and acceptance can often be no match for the mundane socio-economic realities of modern life.