Gay, cute and charismatic Xabi (Israel Rodríguez) has been living in reformatories, detention centers, and prisons since he was abandoned as a child. His feral life led to a life behind bars. He seldom manages to escape, but does on one occasion and meets Iñaki (Luis Hostalot), a middle-aged ETA terrorist who becomes his friend, teacher and lover--a Basque separatist who instructs him about the nature of revolution. However, Xabi is sent to a high security correctional facility after throwing a gasoline bottle at a policeman in a street raid, nearly killing him. Xabi, with friend Joel (Hugo Catalán), a young Mexican, and a Moroccan named Driss (Mehroz Arif) who is going to be deported, manage to escape and arrive in Madrid. They are the "clandestinos" of the title.
Xabi looks for Iñaki because he wants to join the ETA, but cannot find him. Joel and Driss are more interested in hooking up with two girls they meet on the bus. Desperate to prove himself to the terrorist, Xabi plants bombs and robs unsuspecting johns. As Xabi tries to prove himself to Iñaki, he gets in over his head, especially when a john he picks up to rob turns out to be a police chief (Juan Luis Galiardo), and his plans begin to crumble. Finding Iñaki turns out to be difficult, because Iñaki doesn't want to be found. A far more serious terrorist, he's driving around with a trunk full of C-4 and doesn't want to reunite with his young acquaintance. Surprisingly, Xabi and Driss have some success with their homemade bomb, but their situation is doomed not only because the anti-terror squads are on their tail, but also because the comically slutty girls with whom Driss and Joel have shacked up start to have suspicions. They realize what is going on with Xabi and call the police. The ending is done poorly and is a disappointment
Politics and gay love come together in this melodrama, and as we go inside the heads of the three boys we end up with a pleasurable viewing experience. The film provides some wonderful eye candy (the shower scene in the prison, for example) but it tells us about the desire for acceptance and how to achieve it. The cast is very good and Israel Rodríguez as Xabi is excellent. But while the action here is exciting, the tone is quite wrong for the movie. Since when is terrorism a lark? Sergio De La Puente composed the original music. The screenplay was written by Gabriel Olivares and Antonio Hens, who also directed. In Spanish with English subtitles.
