‘Another Man’ review: A gay man suffers an identity crisis in intimate, earnest Catalan drama

Dir/scr: David Moragas. Spain/Mexico. 2025. 90mins

A gay man in Barcelona who has been in a relationship for six years starts to question his place and purpose in life in the Catalan-language domestic drama Another Man. This is the second feature from writer-director David Moragas, whose U.S.-set, black-and-white queer talkfest A Stormy Night made the festival rounds in 2020. His new film, shot in colour, is also quite verbose but feels less claustrophobic as it examines the life of its protagonist, his relationship with his loved ones and the alluring neighbour across the street. After its world premiere in Thessaloniki’s Meet The Neighbours+ competition, this could find a comfortable berth at LGBTQ showcases and in niche release.

Serves up a slice of queer life in an intentionally down-to-earth way

For better or worse, it’s still refreshing to see a queer story that’s not about coming to terms with one’s sexuality but that zooms in on regular couplehood and its ups and downs, the orientation of the characters simply a given. The last Barcelona-set film that flirted with this and made an international splash was Lucio Castro’s excellent End Of The Century (2019) and, while that title had more intellectual heft as well as a more jocular bent, Moragas’ more intimate and earnest proposal is a strong addition to this growing genre. 

Thirtysomething Marc (Lluís Marquès) is a graphic designer who works from home and has a tendency to overthink. His sister Marta (Bruna Cusí) is flighty, juggling her own family and young child, and the two siblings are struggling to come to terms with the recent death of their depressed mother. A good example of the film’s awkward-funny tone comes in the prologue, when Marc’s partner Eudald (Quim Àvila), tries to lure him back into bed, completely misreading the situation after Marc has just received a call telling him his mother has died. It’s the kind of drawn-from-life detail that you can’t really hold against Eudald – and yet Marc can’t quite seem to easily forgive him for it either. 

As in A Stormy Night, there’s a lot of talking, with Marc examining, often unwittingly, where he is in life, what others expect of him and where he might want to go. He’s occasionally jealous of Eudald’s social and professional life, as his sweetheart works on film sets and is often away from home and constantly meeting new people. Yet it’s obvious to the viewer — if not necessarily the protagonist himself — that Marc is more of a homebody and someone with a smaller social battery. An awkward dinner party with some of Eudald’s friends (including one played by Ramon Pujol, star of End Of The Century), suggests as much while making it perfectly clear that it’s the audience’s job to pick up on non-verbal clues in order to piece together the finer character details. 

When Eudald suggests that maybe they should move to the quieter suburbs, Marc rebels even though – given his quieter, homebody temperament – he would probably be more suited for life there than the more outgoing Eudald. But Marc is one of those men who wants to give the impression he’s in control of his own life, which is hard to do when people around you keep pulling you in different directions. To top it all off, a sexy new neighbour has just moved into the apartment across the street and Marc is fascinated by him – though it’s unclear initially what kind of interest Marc really has in the man. Is it sexual? Or does he see in the man so different from him the possibility of another life for himself? 

Marquès and Àvila make for a believable, opposites-attract couple and Another Man serves up a slice of their queer life in an intentionally down-to-earth way. As with real life, there is no definitive ending to speak of, which may frustrate viewers who like a near conclusion but which will resonate with those who prefer a more realistic view.