I don't know any of the couples that were depicted in the documentary, but of course I do know intergenerational couples here.
First, a word about "maduros". In general there is more respect for older people here in Spain than in the US. Unfortunately the "youth culture" which is so heavily promoted in the US has some influence here, thanks to popular media.
I think that the couples portrayed are fairly representative as well as the other people that appear in the documentary. In general there is a more "live and let live" attitude here. Sure, there are bigots, but Spain is not as religious as the US, despite it being considered a "Catholic country".
A quick example. Last year when I was hospitalized for surgery, the first thing they asked was if my partner was going to stay with me in the room. They brought in bedding so the sofa/bed could be used to sleep on. Never a question of about my partner. When it was time to check out of the hospital, my partner took the "release" down to the administration office and checked me out. Again, no questions asked. Meanwhile, the staff came by asking about lunch. I said that the doctor had released me and that I could go home and cook. They responded with don't bother cooking, stay and eat here. (I did.)
I had to get my stay in the hospital pre-approved by my private insurance, but the stay ended up being without charge. Normally the co-pay is 5.50 € a day. I did have to pay for the anesthesiologist and pathological exam at 4 € for each.
There are many things that Spaniards just can't comprehend about the US, for example, the amount of gun violence, belief in "creationism", and xenophobia. Chuck
Actually, I thought the focus on couples (married, cohabitating, presumably monogamous, etc.) was rather telling. There's lots of acceptance there for people who assimilate to heteronormative standards. I wonder, however, what the reaction of the hospital would've been if you'd asked them "Where's my other partner going to sleep?"
Incidentally, that's actually one of the things I liked most about the film Cachorro. It's not some warm-and-fuzzy domestic fantasy about someone who's "just like anyone else" except gay. Pedro isn't willing to give up partying and anonymous sex in order to become a parent, and his brother-in-law's mother has a point (which the movie gives due weight) that this isn't a stable environment to raise a child in.
But then, I'm one of those people who believes we won't really have acceptance until it's available to those on the fringes as well as to good bourgeois couples like yours and mine.
I couldn't find any additional information regarding either the documentary or the filmmaker. It doesn't help that Roberto Garcia is a relatively common name. One can only speculate on his motivation for focusing on couples and their families. Spanish culture treats "family" differently than the dominant culture in the US.
Likewise, there is less concern about "appearances" here. For example, the number of children "born out of wedlock". That includes the son of la Shakira and Barça star, Piqúe or the progeny of the leader of of right-wing PPC, Sánchez-Comacho.
The Pedro character in Cachorrodid modify his life-style somewhat in order to be a parent. For me the old woman was portrayed as a symbol of the franquismo.
I think that intergenerational relationships were meant to be somewhat thought provoking. How the people met, what they thought of their age differences, their interactions, how friends and family reacted/related to them. Relationships that appear "different" on the surface aren't all that much different once you look deeper. So there was more "substance" than a documentary regarding the líos of users of GROWLr, Grindr or SCRUFF.
As regards to the hospital, people can take turns staying overnight with the patient, as is usually the case for families. After all, they aren't running a hotel. And they don't charge for this accommodation as it is. How many US movies/TV shows are depicted where people are prevented from even seeing the patient?
In my case, neither the surgeon nor hospital staff ever questioned about my partner even though it is quite obvious that we are not related by blood.
There are grades of acceptances like there are shades of gray. Let's just say Spain is more tolerant than the US. One needs to be resident in a culture for a period of time to better appreciate this.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
momijizukamori
no subject
The actual title is just "Maduros".
I don't know any of the couples that were depicted in the documentary, but of course I do know intergenerational couples here.
First, a word about "maduros". In general there is more respect for older people here in Spain than in the US. Unfortunately the "youth culture" which is so heavily promoted in the US has some influence here, thanks to popular media.
I think that the couples portrayed are fairly representative as well as the other people that appear in the documentary. In general there is a more "live and let live" attitude here. Sure, there are bigots, but Spain is not as religious as the US, despite it being considered a "Catholic country".
A quick example. Last year when I was hospitalized for surgery, the first thing they asked was if my partner was going to stay with me in the room. They brought in bedding so the sofa/bed could be used to sleep on. Never a question of about my partner. When it was time to check out of the hospital, my partner took the "release" down to the administration office and checked me out. Again, no questions asked. Meanwhile, the staff came by asking about lunch. I said that the doctor had released me and that I could go home and cook. They responded with don't bother cooking, stay and eat here. (I did.)
I had to get my stay in the hospital pre-approved by my private insurance, but the stay ended up being without charge. Normally the co-pay is 5.50 € a day. I did have to pay for the anesthesiologist and pathological exam at 4 € for each.
There are many things that Spaniards just can't comprehend about the US, for example, the amount of gun violence, belief in "creationism", and xenophobia.
Chuck
no subject
Incidentally, that's actually one of the things I liked most about the film Cachorro. It's not some warm-and-fuzzy domestic fantasy about someone who's "just like anyone else" except gay. Pedro isn't willing to give up partying and anonymous sex in order to become a parent, and his brother-in-law's mother has a point (which the movie gives due weight) that this isn't a stable environment to raise a child in.
But then, I'm one of those people who believes we won't really have acceptance until it's available to those on the fringes as well as to good bourgeois couples like yours and mine.
no subject
Likewise, there is less concern about "appearances" here. For example, the number of children "born out of wedlock". That includes the son of la Shakira and Barça star, Piqúe or the progeny of the leader of of right-wing PPC, Sánchez-Comacho.
The Pedro character in Cachorro did modify his life-style somewhat in order to be a parent. For me the old woman was portrayed as a symbol of the franquismo.
I think that intergenerational relationships were meant to be somewhat thought provoking. How the people met, what they thought of their age differences, their interactions, how friends and family reacted/related to them. Relationships that appear "different" on the surface aren't all that much different once you look deeper. So there was more "substance" than a documentary regarding the líos of users of GROWLr, Grindr or SCRUFF.
As regards to the hospital, people can take turns staying overnight with the patient, as is usually the case for families. After all, they aren't running a hotel. And they don't charge for this accommodation as it is. How many US movies/TV shows are depicted where people are prevented from even seeing the patient?
In my case, neither the surgeon nor hospital staff ever questioned about my partner even though it is quite obvious that we are not related by blood.
There are grades of acceptances like there are shades of gray. Let's just say Spain is more tolerant than the US. One needs to be resident in a culture for a period of time to better appreciate this.
Chuck