Spanish language film recommendation time
Okay here’s a brief summary of some interesting movies I’ve seen, hopefully you guys can find something you like and practice your Spanish:
Amores Perros (2000). dir. Iñárritu. This one isn’t optional, if you haven’t seen it, you MUST. Seriously this is one of my favorite movies of all time, saying that it’s about relationships in Mexico City doesn’t even BEGIN to cover it. The cinematography, the music, the plot, the acting–everything is fantastic.
¡Átame! (1989). dir. Almodóvar. This is…an interesting (infuriating?) film. Basic plot: Guy gets out of a psychiatric institution, becomes obsessed with a woman, kidnaps her, Stockholm Syndrome. I think it’s 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, that’s for sure.
Babel (2006). dir. Iñárritu. Another wonderful film by Iñárritu (my fave), this isn’t completely in Spanish but definitely deals with some Hispanic themes, namely Mexican/American, and also deals with much broader international themes–the film follows three different story lines, similar to Amores Perros, except all are in different countries instead of in the same city–yet they are all still connected. Really interesting and visually gorgeous film.
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.
Biutiful (2010). dir. Iñárritu. This film is also incredibly gorgeous (have I said I love Iñárritu yet?)–very sad film but super interesting, takes place in Spain, highly recommended.
Como Agua para Chocolate (1992). dir. Arau. This fits in with the “magical realism” genre, if that’s your thing. It’s a Mexican film based on a book by Laura Esquivel, and a love story, very dramatic.
Crónica de una fuga (2004). dir. Caetano. This is a really interesting film based on a true story about “the disappeared” youth in Argentina.
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.
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 ‘moons’ of the life of different gay men) so if you want a gay movie, I recommend it, it’s on Netflix.
Danzón (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 “gaze” of the camera, and it’s a fun dancing/music related film theme-wise.
El ángel exterminador (1962). dir. Buñuel. Okay this movie is definitely an “art film” and may be difficult to understand on the first watch, but it’s 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.
El laberinto del fauno (2006). dir. Guillermo del Toro. Everyone loves this movie, and if you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s dark fantasy mixed with Spanish history.
El lugar sin límites (1978). dir. Ripstein. This is based on the novel by Donoso, it’s basically about a transgender* [*this may not be the best term–the term I would use is ‘travesti’ which is closer to ‘transvestite’ but this is one of those cases where because of the differences in culture/language it’s hard to translate exactly] woman and the dynamic between the travesti community and ‘macho’ gay men, and is the origin of an archetypal character [’La Manuela’]. If you’re interested in LGBTQ+ themes/history, this is an interesting watch.
Evita (1996). dir. Parker. This is a musical about Evita, Antoni Banderas is in it (idk why but this is hilarious to me he’s so Spanish?)–if you like musicals or are interested in Argentinian history, it’s not a bad film (though I don’t think this should be your only source to learn about the Perón family).
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. It’s basically a detective film from Argentina, with all of the local accents and slang (which for me at least is fun).
El último verano de la Boyita (2009). dir. Solomonoff. Okay, I watched this movie because it’s the only movie I’ve ever seen or heard of about an intersex child, and it was actually quite good.
Il Postino (1994). dir. Radford. This film takes place in Italy but I’m including it because it’s basically about Pablo Neruda, so if you want to watch a film about the poet, this is your film.
La batalla de Chile: El poder popular (1979). dir. Guzmán. This film comes in three parts, and it’s a documentary about Chile surrounding the rise and fall of Allende and life under Pinochet. Quite good if you like history.
La hora de los hornos (1968). dir. Getino & Solanas. Also a documentary, about Argentina. Very good, deals with a lot of historical issues.
La Lengua de Mariposas (1999). dir. Cuerda. I LOVE this movie, it’s so sweet, it’s basically about a little boy and his relationship with his teacher with the Spanish civil war looming in the background. Watch this.
La ley del deseo (1987). dir. Almodóvar. This is actually my favorite Almodóvar film, maybe it’s because Antonio Banderas is very young and gay in it, but in terms of the cinematography it’s also got some quite pretty shots.
La Zona (2007). dir. Plá. This is about violent crime and…basically about class differences in Mexico and the family issues that can cause.
Little Ashes (2008). dir. Morrison. This film is mostly NOT in Spanish, but I thought I’d include it because it is about Lorca and deals with very Spanish themes, and hilariously also has Robert Pattinson playing Salvador Dalí. Really.
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).
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.
Mar Adentro (2004). dir. Amenábar. This is about the legal question surrounding euthanasia, very touching, interesting film. Javier Bardem is in it and is great as usual.
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 ‘mulas.’ Hard to watch but very good.
Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968). dir. Alea. I hated the attitude protagonist of this movie but the actual film was so interesting, it’s about Cuba during the era where Soviet/US conflict was high and visually is a very gorgeous movie.
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988) dir. Almodóvar. This is probably one of Almodóvar’s 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.
Nostalgia de la luz (2010.) dir. Guzmán. This is a gorgeous movie about astronomy and the “disappeared” in Chile (and yes, they are related, sort of), it’s sort of a documentary but doesn’t feel like a documentary. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history.
Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón (1980). dir. Almodóvar. This Almodóvar film is probably the one that most explicitly explores the sexual revolution during la movida madrileña.
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.
También la Lluvia (2010). dir. Bollaín. Watch this. Gael is great in this movie (as always) and it’s 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.
¡Qué viva México! (1979). dir. Eisentein. This was a film project began in the ‘30s and then later abandoned because of funding issues, but watching the surviving footage is super neat for anyone interested in the history of Mexico.
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.
Todo sobre mi madre (1999). dir. Almodóvar. 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.
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 “let’s kill poor people” is not v. subtle) but I wanted to mention Estrada because he’s made a number of films dealing with Mexico that I haven’t 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).
Violeta se fue a los cielos (2011). dir. Wood. Watch this. I loved this film, it’s about one of the leaders of the “nueva canción” movement in Chile, which is like folk song revival, but it’s a dramatization of her life (not a documentary). It features some great music and the heroine is just… a fascinating human being.
Volver (2006). dir. Almodóvar. Another Almodóvar film, not my favorite by him but if you like his style I’d recommend it. Basically about a mother-daughter team building a much more awesome life after…an incident.
Y tu mamá también (2001). dir. Cuarón. This is…a 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/isn’t appropriate between male friends or what is/isn’t considered “homosexual.”
Alright! I’ve 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~
dededos
kianamaiart
andulkaphoto
tangentwithtanner
annaxmalina
stormborns
turnnoffyourmind
pixelskylines
