Contemporary Movies in Spanish
(and a couple in English included 
for various reasons)

Those of you who live in metropolitan areas will be able to rent most of these films if you don't want to buy them.  In any case, watching good movies in Spanish is a good way to immerse yourself in Spanish without having to leave home.

Like Water for Chocolate (1993)  This is one of the few Mexican films to be a box office success in the U.S.  Like many Latin American movies and novels, it has its fair share of "magical realism".  All in all, a pleasant but not overpowering film.  The DVD has soundtracks in English and Spanish, as well as English subtitles.

Desperado / El Mariachi (Special Editions) (1995)  
El Mariachi was made for an incredible $7,000.  It earned enough for its producer-director to make the more ambitious Desperado, another drug baron vs. good guy film.  Desperado launched the successful film careers of Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayek.  Sound track in English and Spanish with subtitles in those languages plus French.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)  Movie about a couple of teenagers at the beach and the older woman they pick up.  A big hit in Latin America and a modest success in the U.S.  The title is linguistically interesting.  The common Mexican obscene insult "xxxx tu mamá" is so well known that just saying "tu mamá" carries the meaning.   Spanish with English subtitles.

Tango (1999)  The tango is perhaps Argentina's proudest contribution to culture.  Tango, well danced, is elegant, evocative...and sensual.  Male tango dancers, who sometimes double as singers and actors, have become stars in Argentina.  Carlos Gardel is the most famous example: he was killed in an aviation accident almost 70 years ago, but even young people in Argentina know his name, and something of his music.  This is a movie about making a movie about the Tango.  While not a great artistic achievement, it does provide some cultural insights.  It is in Spanish, with English and French subtitles.

Our Lady of the Assassins (2000)  Set in Medellín,   Colombia, for decades the center of cocaine activity and home of the notorious Medellin Cartel, this is a somber look at the lives (almost always short) of the expendable young men employed by the narcotraficantes as hired guns (sicarios in Spanish).  The film has a lot of violence, but it is necessary to the story it tells.  English and Spanish soundtracks, English subtitles.

Johnny 100 Pesos (1995)  One of the very few Chilean films   available in the U.S., the movie is based on a real   incident--a   bungled robbery and hostage taking by   feckless   crooks.  Johnny Cienpesos is Chilean slang for a   small-time crook.  A black comedy with a tragic ending.  Spanish and English soundtracks, English subtitles.  This   was the first movie made in Chile after Pinochet stepped   down and allowed democratic elections (something for which he hasn't  been given enough credit in my opinion).

Amores Perros (2000)  Amores Perros is really three movies in one, loosely bound together by a traumatic incident and the fact that they all have dogs in major roles.  Part comedy, part tragedy, and part satire, I quite enjoyed it.

Frida (2003) Salma Hayek's artistic triumph, a movie with lots of sex and hysteria, it was generally highly praised by critics.  Frida and her husband Diego Rivera (particularly Diego) are important figures in Mexican art history. 

Three Amigos! (1986) What is a pot-boiler American comedy doing here?, you might well ask.  Well for one thing it's fun (although it won't do much for either your language proficiency or culture knowledge).  For another, for the fabulous performance of Mexican actor Tony Plana as Jefe, the somewhat mentally slow second-in-command of the bandit gang the Three Amigos are supposed to protect the village from.  Most of all, for the hilarious performance of Mexican (and now Hollywood) actor/director Alfonso Arau as El Guapo, the bandit chief.  Okay, that's enough stuff just for fun, we'll get back to being serious now.

Talk to Her (Hable con Ella) (2002)     This is famed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's most recent effort. The almost 150 customer reviews on Amazon.com seem to be divided between those who think it's about the best movie ever made, and those who think it's the worst. I guess that means that you'll either love it or hate it, but are unlikely to be neutral about it.


All About My Mother (1999)  Almodóvar seems to evoke extreme reactions, but the good reviews outweigh the bad.  This film is set in Madrid and Barcelona, which will be of interest to many.  Like all of Amodóvar's movies, the plot is convoluted and relies on a lot of unlikely coincidences.  All in all, worth watching.