Cuéntame cómo pasó Drama Inés & Belén Couple Review

Between Self-Discovery and Family Conflict

🎥 Drama Overview

🎬 Title: Cuéntame cómo pasó (2001–2023)
🌍 Country: 🇪🇸 Spain
🎞️ Genre: Historical / Drama / Family
🗓️ Production & Broadcast: TVE, 2001–2023, total of 23 seasons and 413 episodes
📺 Platform: TVE, with partial availability on streaming services (varies by region)

👩‍💼 Cast: Irene Visedo – Inés Alcántara
Marta Belaustegui – Belén

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🎭 Theater and Liberation

The relationship between Inés and Belén begins in the world of theater. Belén appears as the director of the troupe Inés belongs to, and their bond goes beyond a simple romance — it becomes intertwined with creation and liberation, lifelong themes for Inés.

• Self-discovery through art: Inés has always sought to express her repressed self through theater. Belén not only recognizes her artistic talent but also acts as a catalyst who awakens Inés’s dormant sexual desire and identity. Belén’s bold and honest approach — including her confession of love and their kiss — presents Inés, who has long been entangled in complex relationships with men, with a new form of genuine love.

• Midlife identity confusion: Inés, already a mature woman with a son (Oriol), has lived her entire life as a heterosexual. Her experience of being drawn to a woman in midlife and defining that attraction as “love” powerfully illustrates that sexual orientation is not fixed in youth but can be discovered at any stage of life, resonating deeply with viewers.

🚨 Social Barriers and Inner Struggles: The Pressure to Be “Normal”

The love between Inés and Belén collides with the conservative gaze of family and society in early 1990s Spain — a period when traditional values still dominated.

• Rejection and selfishness of her son, Oriol: The sharpest conflict arises between Inés and her son, Oriol. He cannot accept his mother’s new relationship and even pressures her to see a therapist to “become normal again.” Oriol demands that Inés “choose between me and Belén,” forcing her to face a cruel dilemma between selfhood (her love for Belén) and motherhood (her bond with her son) — a reflection of society’s demand that women sacrifice personal freedom for familial duty.
  • Belén tells Inés that Oriol’s demand really means, “Choose yourself,” encouraging her not to be manipulated but to live her life on her own terms.

• The shock and acceptance of the Alcántara parents: Traditional parents Antonio and Merche also experience great confusion upon hearing Inés’s coming out. When Inés confesses that she loves a woman, Antonio reacts with disbelief, asking, “How can that be?”, and Merche is equally unsettled. However, they eventually express unconditional love — saying, “If you’re happy, that’s what matters.” This evolution represents the symbolic journey of a conservative family embracing progressive values as Spain itself transforms.

🏳️‍🌈 Deepening Relationship and Political Resonance: The Legitimacy of Lesbian Love

The love between Inés and Belén transcends a personal romance and becomes a political statement about queer identity and legitimacy.

• Authenticity of emotion vs. external doubt: When Inés faces skepticism from Oriol and other relatives — being told “You’re confused,” “It’s just friendship,” or “It’s a phase” — Belén urges her to trust in the truth of her emotions and stand proud. This directly challenges the societal prejudice that lesbian love is merely an “experiment” or a “temporary deviation.”

• The growth of Inés: Throughout her life, Inés has rebelled against her father’s authority and societal expectations, though her defiance often led to self-destruction (such as addiction). Her relationship with Belén, however, marks her most authentic and mature act of rebellion — one rooted in self-knowledge and love. Through Belén, Inés learns to clearly articulate who she is and what she wants, ultimately affirming, “I like who I am.”

💞 Integration into Universal Love

The relationship between Inés and Belén served as a crucial narrative pillar in Cuéntame cómo pasó, illustrating both Inés’s personal liberation and Spain’s social evolution over decades.

Their love convincingly demonstrates the universality of love and identity exploration in midlife women. Overcoming familial opposition to become each other’s safe haven, they deliver a resonant message: “Whoever we are and whatever we feel, we do not need forgiveness.”

Through Belén, Inés finally fills the emotional and spiritual “incompleteness” of her life and learns how to love herself — reaching her most mature and whole self.

🎯 Personal Rating (Subjective)

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★