Spanish language film recommendation time
Okay hereâs a brief summary of some interesting movies Iâve seen, hopefully you guys can find something you like and practice your Spanish: Â
Amores Perros (2000). dir. Iñårritu. This one isnât optional, if you havenât seen it, you MUST. Seriously this is one of my favorite movies of all time, saying that itâs about relationships in Mexico City doesnât even BEGIN to cover it. The cinematography, the music, the plot, the actingâeverything is fantastic.
ÂĄĂtame! (1989). dir. AlmodĂłvar. This isâŠan interesting (infuriating?) film. Basic plot: Guy gets out of a psychiatric institution, becomes obsessed with a woman, kidnaps her, Stockholm Syndrome. I think itâs supposed to be edgy with its sort of BDSM-esque aesthetic, and in 1989 Spain (Franco died in 1975) it definitely was. The ending of this film would make for some interesting classroom debates, thatâs for sure.Â
Babel (2006). dir. Iñårritu. Another wonderful film by Iñårritu (my fave), this isnât completely in Spanish but definitely deals with some Hispanic themes, namely Mexican/American, and also deals with much broader international themesâthe film follows three different story lines, similar to Amores Perros, except all are in different countries instead of in the same cityâyet they are all still connected. Really interesting and visually gorgeous film.  Â
Bajo la misma luna (2004). dir. Riggen. This is⊠a sweet, feel-good film about an incredibly (unbelievably?) intelligent and motivated young boy who crosses the Mexican-American border looking for his mother. Â
Biutiful (2010). dir. Iñårritu. This film is also incredibly gorgeous (have I said I love Iñårritu yet?)âvery sad film but super interesting, takes place in Spain, highly recommended.Â
Como Agua para Chocolate (1992). dir. Arau. This fits in with the âmagical realismâ genre, if thatâs your thing. Itâs a Mexican film based on a book by Laura Esquivel, and a love story, very dramatic.Â
CrĂłnica de una fuga (2004). dir. Caetano. This is a really interesting film based on a true story about âthe disappearedâ youth in Argentina.Â
Cronos (1993). dir. Guillermo del Toro. This is a vampire movie, very del Toro in style, if you like his work and fantasy/horror stuff you might like this.Â
Cuatro Lunas (2014). dir. Velarde. WELL I watched this movie just because it was gay but it actually had kind of a surprisingly cute plot line (exploring 4 different phases âmoonsâ of the life of different gay men) so if you want a gay movie, I recommend it, itâs on Netflix. Â
DanzĂłn (1991). dir. Novaro. Good movie from a female director (!) that explores some themes of gender, I remember having interesting conversations in class about the gendered âgazeâ of the camera, and itâs a fun dancing/music related film theme-wise. Â
El ĂĄngel exterminador (1962). dir. Buñuel. Okay this movie is definitely an âart filmâ and may be difficult to understand on the first watch, but itâs actually great. Black and white, some really interesting camera shots, explores themes of the helplessness of bourgeois society, if you like film history or technique, give this a shot.Â
El laberinto del fauno (2006). dir. Guillermo del Toro. Everyone loves this movie, and if you havenât seen it, you should. Itâs dark fantasy mixed with Spanish history.Â
El lugar sin lĂmites (1978). dir. Ripstein. This is based on the novel by Donoso, itâs basically about a transgender* [*this may not be the best termâthe term I would use is âtravestiâ which is closer to âtransvestiteâ but this is one of those cases where because of the differences in culture/language itâs hard to translate exactly] woman and the dynamic between the travesti community and âmachoâ gay men, and is the origin of an archetypal character [âLa Manuelaâ]. If youâre interested in LGBTQ+ themes/history, this is an interesting watch.   Â
Evita (1996). dir. Parker. This is a musical about Evita, Antoni Banderas is in it (idk why but this is hilarious to me heâs so Spanish?)âif you like musicals or are interested in Argentinian history, itâs not a bad film (though I donât think this should be your only source to learn about the PerĂłn family). Â
El secreto de sus ojos (2009). dir. Campanella. The ending of this movie is so amazing. There is a fairly graphic rape scene so be aware of that. Itâs basically a detective film from Argentina, with all of the local accents and slang (which for me at least is fun). Â Â
El Ășltimo verano de la Boyita (2009). dir. Solomonoff. Okay, I watched this movie because itâs the only movie Iâve ever seen or heard of about an intersex child, and it was actually quite good. Â
Il Postino (1994). dir. Radford. This film takes place in Italy but Iâm including it because itâs basically about Pablo Neruda, so if you want to watch a film about the poet, this is your film.Â
La batalla de Chile: El poder popular (1979). dir. GuzmĂĄn. This film comes in three parts, and itâs a documentary about Chile surrounding the rise and fall of Allende and life under Pinochet. Quite good if you like history. Â
La hora de los hornos (1968). dir. Getino & Solanas. Also a documentary, about Argentina. Very good, deals with a lot of historical issues.Â
La Lengua de Mariposas (1999). dir. Cuerda. I LOVE this movie, itâs so sweet, itâs basically about a little boy and his relationship with his teacher with the Spanish civil war looming in the background. Watch this. Â
La ley del deseo (1987). dir. AlmodĂłvar. This is actually my favorite AlmodĂłvar film, maybe itâs because Antonio Banderas is very young and gay in it, but in terms of the cinematography itâs also got some quite pretty shots.Â
La Zona (2007). dir. PlĂĄ. This is about violent crime andâŠbasically about class differences in Mexico and the family issues that can cause.Â
Little Ashes (2008). dir. Morrison. This film is mostly NOT in Spanish, but I thought Iâd include it because it is about Lorca and deals with very Spanish themes, and hilariously also has Robert Pattinson playing Salvador DalĂ. Really. Â
Los olvidados (1950). dir. Buñuel. This is about juvenile delinquents in Mexico City, basically, and deals with issues of class and is known for its surrealism (kind of an interesting thing for a film of that era).Â
Machuca (2004). dir. Wood. This is a film about class tensions during the 1973 coup in Chile, as seen from the perspective of two young boys. A very watchable movie on the topic.Â
Mar Adentro (2004). dir. AmenĂĄbar. This is about the legal question surrounding euthanasia, very touching, interesting film. Javier Bardem is in it and is great as usual. Â Â
Maria Llena de Gracia (2004). dir. Marshton. This is about drug smuggling and shows the grim reality of that life and why some women might chose to become âmulas.â Hard to watch but very good.Â
Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968). dir. Alea. I hated the attitude protagonist of this movie but the actual film was so interesting, itâs about Cuba during the era where Soviet/US conflict was high and visually is a very gorgeous movie.Â
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988) dir. AlmodĂłvar. This is probably one of AlmodĂłvarâs most famous films and deals with the relationships between women, and was pretty interesting because when we watched this in class half the class thought this was a very feminist movie and half the class thought it was very sexist, so⊠decide for yourself, I guess. Â
Nostalgia de la luz (2010.) dir. GuzmĂĄn. This is a gorgeous movie about astronomy and the âdisappearedâ in Chile (and yes, they are related, sort of), itâs sort of a documentary but doesnât feel like a documentary. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history.  Â
Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montĂłn (1980). dir. AlmodĂłvar. This AlmodĂłvar film is probably the one that most explicitly explores the sexual revolution during la movida madrileña.Â
Sin dejar huella (2000). dir. Novaro. This is a roadtrip movie, featuring two women who explore Mexico. Definitely explores the variety of cultural and geographical landscape in Mexico. Â
TambiĂ©n la Lluvia (2010). dir. BollaĂn. Watch this. Gael is great in this movie (as always) and itâs very compelling plotwise. Essentially, this movie uses a Spanish film company making a movie about Columbus/Bartolome de las Casas/etc. during the Cochabamba protests in Bolivia to make a statement about neoimperalism/neocolonialism. Â
ÂĄQuĂ© viva MĂ©xico! (1979). dir. Eisentein. This was a film project began in the â30s and then later abandoned because of funding issues, but watching the surviving footage is super neat for anyone interested in the history of Mexico. Â
Soldados de Salamina (2003). dir. Trueba. This film is about a frustrated writer (ahhh, #relatable) investigating the Spanish Civil War. I liked this movie for having an (ambiguously) bisexual main character, and for how it weaved storylines from two different time periods together. Â Â
Todo sobre mi madre (1999). dir. AlmodĂłvar. This is about a grieving mother and her attempt to come to terms with some tough issues, mainly what happens when a parent is transsexual.Â
Un Mundo Maravilloso (2006). dir. Estrada. I actually hated this film because it felt like it was beating me over the head with a hammer (having the leader of what was essentially the World Bank cackle and say âletâs kill poor peopleâ is not v. subtle) but I wanted to mention Estrada because heâs made a number of films dealing with Mexico that I havenât seen, and if Mexico interests you especially I would check out some of his other films or even give this one a try (the ending is kind of interesting). Â
Violeta se fue a los cielos (2011). dir. Wood. Watch this. I loved this film, itâs about one of the leaders of the ânueva canciĂłnâ movement in Chile, which is like folk song revival, but itâs a dramatization of her life (not a documentary). It features some great music and the heroine is just⊠a fascinating human being.Â
Volver (2006). dir. AlmodĂłvar. Another AlmodĂłvar film, not my favorite by him but if you like his style Iâd recommend it. Basically about a mother-daughter team building a much more awesome life afterâŠan incident.Â
Y tu mamĂĄ tambiĂ©n (2001). dir. CuarĂłn. This isâŠa very sexy roadtrip/coming-of-age movie that takes place in Mexico. Fair warning, this film is pretty explicit, and I think became well-known just for that. It has some interesting themes though, particularly regarding male sexuality and where the line is (culturally) for what is/isnât appropriate between male friends or what is/isnât considered âhomosexual.âÂ
Alright! Iâve probably forgotten something but that should get you guys started. Feel free to ask me any questions or let me know what you think of these! Enjoy~
