Iván & Hadoum | 2026 Berlin Intl. Film Festival Review
Love Audit: de la Rosa Defies the Odds with Star-Crossed Lovers
Much like the shifting ideals and hard won identities defining the protagonists of Ian de la Rosa’s directorial debut Iván & Hadoum, the nexus of clashing intersections symbolically defines the parameters of a romance discouraged by the expectations of a rigid environment. Perhaps most significantly, economic and class factors prove to be the difficult hurdles obstructing a budding relationship between titular characters existing on opposite sides of the proverbial fence—the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. It’s the stench of exploitation, eventually, which suffocates, and de la Rosa deftly examines how a threat to private enterprise proves to be the bridge too far, shifting the dramatic catalyst away from gender identity.… Read the rest
