Over the years, many Spanish-language movies have gained wide popularity here in the States. Other times, these movies have even been translated and remade for English-speaking audiences and gone on to become blockbuster hits. Here we list some of the best Spanish movies everyone should watch. We’ve made sure to include a wide range of genres (because hey, we’ve all got different tastes!), but what these films all share in common is the ability to allow audiences an escape from daily life—the way all good movies should.
El Laberinto Del Fauno/Pan’s Labyrinth
Spain/Mexico
This 2006 dark fantasy film has become one of the most popular Spanish-language foreign films among North American audiences, in part because it was helmed by Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro. Taking place in Spain during the Francoist period, the story centers around a young girl named Ofelia who encounters magical creatures with a labyrinth—what folks on Rotten Tomatoes have referred to as Alice in Wonderland but much more twisted.
La Llorona
Guatemala
Don’t confuse this one for the Curse of La Llorona (a horror film released a year prior)—this one is eons better and well worth the watch. In it, an aging former dictator is haunted by the ghosts of his past war crimes after an investigation against him is overturned. It’s a film that successfully blends Guatemalan history, politics, horror and the supernatural while featuring Spanish as well as Mayan languages at the forefront. Written and directed by Jayro Bustamante, the film has earned 43 nominations and won 22 awards including one from the Hollywood Critics Association.
Y Tu Mamá También
México
This Mexican dramedy follows three characters on a lustful, coming-of-age road trip in search of an isolated beach and a sense of connection after their partners have left them in various ways. The film garnered $2.2 million in its box office opening weekend in Mexico and was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe, while winning an Independent Spirit Award, among others. You may recognize the two male leads, who have both gone on two enjoy a bit of fame in Hollywood in later years: Star Wars Rogue One star Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal of Mozart in the Jungle.
Pelo Malo
Venezuela
This sometimes heartbreaking film tackles issues of homophobia and anti-Blackness within Latin American communities in a way that pulls no punches. The protagonist is a young boy who hates his Afro-textured hair (which he believes to be “Pelo Malo”—which translates to “bad hair”) and does everything and anything he can to straighten it. His mother, however, takes it as a sign the boy might be gay and takes some truly horrifying steps to try and ensure that he isn’t.
Todo Sobre Mi Madre/All About My Mother
Spain
There’s no doubt Pedro Almodóvar is one of Spain’s most celebrated modern directors, and if you’re looking to find out why, you can start with this Oscar-winning film. When a mother loses her son after he is hit by a car and killed, she seeks out his other biological parent, a transgender woman named Lola who was never told about their child. And if you can believe it, the story gets even more complex from there with plenty of laughs and tears along the way.
Mosquita y Mari
Mexico/U.S.
This coming-of-age film about two teenage girls who become neighbors, friends and at some points more has been lauded by the LGBTQ+ community for its queer storytelling. Written and directed by queer, Chicana activist and filmmaker Aurora Guerrero, Mosquita y Mari went on to win several awards including a John Cassavetes Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and Best First Narrative Feature at Outfest.
La Ciénaga
Argentina
Lucrecia Martel is one of the most celebrated female Latin American directors and as such, you won’t want to miss out on her most award-winning film. The film revolves around the tensions between a not-entirely-likable upper-middle-class woman and her family vacationing in a country home and her not-as-affluent cousin and her children. It’s the type of film that offers a glimpse of a moment in time rather than a typical story with climax and ending but does it in a mesmerizing way.
Roma
Mexico
Yalitza Aparicio became the first Indigenous American actress nominated for an Oscar for her role in this gut-wrenching black-and-white film about a housekeeper’s life in 1970s Mexico City. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón 17 years after Y Tu Mamá También, this film takes a much different approach in style and content—with long tracking shots, extended silence and oft haunting images that make it impossible to forget.
Juan De Los Muertos/Juan of the Dead
Spain-Cuba
This hilarious zombie flick takes place in Cuba and stars Alexis Díaz de Villegas as Juan, a slacker who’s trying to reconnect with his daughter when the undead suddenly begin to rise and take over the island. Anyone who’s been a fan of films like Dead Snow and Shaun of the Dead will love this quirky film from Argentinean director Alejandro Brugués.
Amores Perros
Mexico
Many know of Alejandro Iñárritu from his Hollywood hit films like The Revenant, Babel, Birdman and 21 Grams. But the Mexican director’s debut remains among the most highly revered Spanish-language films of all time. Amores Perros stars an ensemble cast (including Y Tu Mamá También’s Bernal, telenovela star Jorge Salinas and Spanish actress Goya Toledo) whose lives are interwoven across three main storylines that combine crime, drama and comedy in a seamless way.
El Agente Topo
Chile
If documentaries are more your thing, try this hybrid docu-dramedy by Chilean director Maite Alberdi. The Oscar-nominated film features the discoveries made by an 83-year-old undercover agent (a “mole” or “topo”) who poses as a resident of a nursing home in order to figure out if his client’s sister is being abused by staff. What’s revealed are the hardships and loneliness of life in a care facility, though not without laughs and surprises along the way.
Verónica
Spain
A captivating horror film through and through, Veronica is based on the unsolved case of a girl who died mysteriously after using a Ouija board. In the film, a teen girl and her friends help her summon her late father using such a board, and she gets much more than what she bargained for. The scares and jumps and eerie feel throughout the movie make it a horror buff favorite.
Sin Nombre
U.S./Mexico
The immigrant experience is as diverse as those who come to the States, but this film does a phenomenal job at capturing at least one of those stories: that of a boy trying to leave his involvement with the Mara Salvatrucha (the notorious international MS-13 gang) behind and the Honduran girl who befriends him along the way as they hop trains heading for the border. The film was nominated for and won numerous awards, including several at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Abre Los Ojos
Spain
Many remember the 2001 film Vanilla Sky starring Tom Cruise, but what some might not realize is that this is a remake of a Spanish sci-fi thriller called Abre Los Ojos. The premise is the same: a self-absorbed, rich, womanizing career man is involved in a car crash that sends his life spinning in bizarre ways. PenélopeCruz even stars in both versions, and director Alejandro Amenábar helped write the Cameron Crowe version.
Los Olvidados
Spain/Mexico
Anyone who’s serious about diving into the history of Spanish-language cinema will no doubt eventually encounter one of Luis Buñuel’s films. Buñuel (who also directed and co-wrote the infamous surrealist Salvador Dalí film Un Chien Andalou) brings us a film about a group of indigent children surviving within Mexico City in the 1950s and lets viewers know off the bat that it will be anything but optimistic. Despite its bleak approach, the film remains widely praised within the film community.
La Yuma
Nicaragua
Released in 2009, La Yuma was the first feature-length film to come out of Nicaragua in two decades. The story revolves around a teenage girl named Yuma hoping to escape life in the slums by fighting against all odds to become a professional boxer. French director Florence Jaugey brings the realities of gender issues to the forefront in this film, with a riveting performance by Alma Blanco as Yuma.
Hija de la Laguna
Peru
This important documentary centers around an Andean woman named Nélida whose profound respect for her country’s natural environment leads her to go to law school to fight against the mining companies looking to destroy her country’s land for profit. Nélida has a personal connection to the land, including communing with the duendes (or water spirits) of the lake, which she views and reveres as her own mother. The film has won a number of awards, including one from the Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival and two from Argentina’s International Environmental Film Festival.
Voces Inocentes/Innocent Voices
El Salvador/Mexico
Set in 1980s El Salvador during a civil war, this film reveals the struggles of an 11-year-old boy named Chava hoping to avoid being sent to fight in the military. It’s a harrowing tale that shows the brutal impact of war on kids and families, and it’s based on the real-life experiences of the film’s co-writer, Oscar Torres. Mexican director Luis Mandoki was nominated for an Ariel Award for Best Director for this film—his first Spanish-language movie project in over a decade.
El Topo
Mexico
There’s no way not to mention one of the most bizarre Spanish-language films of all time—so much so that it inspired John Lennon to offer director Alejandro Jodorowsky $1 million for his next film project. Described by many as an acid Western, an avant-garde art film and an LSD trip without the LSD, 1970’s El Topo is truly unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
El Crimen del Padre Amaro
Mexico
This controversial film starring Claudia Talancón, Gael García Bernal and Sancho Gracia revolves around the problematic relationships and abuses of power by priests within a small Mexican town. The movie follows the young Padre Amaro (played by Bernal) as the new priest in a parish that is rife with corruption—a corruption that eventually reaches him as well. It became the biggest box office hit at the time, grossing $162.65 million, and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 75th Academy Awards. Next, get Lupin spoilers from the books.
