80 egunean

For 80 Days (2010) is a movie from the Basque country in Spain. (The original title, in the Basque language, was 80 Egunean.) The film was written and directed by Jon Garaño and José María Goenaga.

This interesting movie explores lesbian attraction between two older women. Axun (Itziar Aizpuru) and Maite (Mariasun Pagoaga) were friends as children. They shared a "practice kiss," but nothing more. They meet again 60 years later when, by chance, each is visiting a comatose patient in the hospital.

Life has taken them in very different directions. Axun is a traditional wife and mother in a rural community. Maite is an out lesbian, who is a pianist and professor of piano in the city of San Sebastián.

Still, a spark of the old friendship--and romantic attraction--remains. The plot revolves around the expression of that friendship and attraction for the 80 days in which the women are seeing each other at the hospital and elsewhere.

I've seen many international films, but I've never before seen a movie produced in the Basque Country. (The Basque language is not an Indo-European language--it isn't related to Spanish.) Seeing a movie from a different culture was interesting in itself. Happily, the movie was not only different, but it was also excellent.

This is a quiet, thought-provoking film. It's definitely worth seeking out and seeing. We saw it at the Little Theatre as part of the first-rate Image Out--the Rochester LGBT Film & Video Festival.