One of the best approaches to learning any language, let alone Spanish, is to immerse yourself in the language and culture as quick as possible. One of the best ways to do so, is by watching movies with or without subtitles.
So sit back and grab some popcorn, as we list the top 20 Spanish movies to watch during your next movie night! 🍿🎬
| 🎬 Movie | 🎥 Director | 📆 Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motoCicleta) | Walter Salles | May 7, 2004 |
| Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) | Guillermo Del Toro | December 29, 2006 |
| REC | Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró | 2007 |
| Talk to Her (Hable con elle) | Pedro Almodóvar | April 30, 2002 |
| Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios) | Pedro Almodóvar | November 11, 1988 |
| Cell 211 (Celda 211) | Daniel Monzón | 2009 |
| The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos) | Jose Juan Campanella | April 16, 2010 |
| Colombia Magia Salvaje | Mike Slee | September 10, 2015 |
| The Perfect Crime (Crimen Ferpecto) | Alex de La Iglesia | August 19, 2005 |
| The Seas Inside (Mar Adentro) | Alejandro Amenabar | December 17, 2004 |
| Snow White (Blanca Nieves) | Pablo Berger | March 15, 2013 |
| Sex and Lucia (Lucia y el Sexo) | Julio Medem | June 12, 2002 |
| Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Woody Allen | August 15, 2008 |
| All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre) | Pedro Almodóvar | November 24, 1999 |
| Volver | Pedro Almodóvar | November 3, 2006 |
| Bad Education (La Mala Educación) | Pedro Almodóvar | October 9, 2004 |
| Thesis (Tesis) | Alejandro Amenabar | April 12, 1996 |
| The Invisible Guest (Contratiempo) | Oriol Paulo | January 6, 2017 |
| Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos) | Alejandro Amenabar | April 16, 1999 |
| Under the Same Moon (La misma luna) | Patricia Riggen | March 19, 2008 |
The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta)
In the last 10 to 15 years, Latin American cinema has produced films of a rare strength and captivating intensity. Undeniably, The Motorcycle Diaries, released in 2004, falls into this category.
Directed by Walter Salles and starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Cerna, this Argentinian film is a road movie set in 1952. It tells the story of an Argentinian medical student, Ernesto Guevara, more commonly known as Che Guevara.
At the age of 30, he decided to cross Latin America with his friend Alberto Granado. An initiatory journey that would allow Che Guevara to become one of the most emblematic characters of the 20th century.
An exciting, historical and fascinating road movie that will allow you to work on your Spanish through South American words and expressions, as well as Argentinian and Chilean accents.
Search for how you can get the best Spanish lesson here.
Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)
Selected at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, Pan's Labyrinth is a fantastic oddity signed by one of Mexico's most illustrious directors, Guillermo Del Toro. And if Spanish-speaking cinema is above all famous for its social and psychological frescos, Pan's Labyrinth is the perfect opportunity to try a more fantastic touch!
The film by Del Toro takes place in post-war Francoist Spain and features a little girl named Ofelia. The latter is designated as the princess of a subterranean world. The film doesn't stop oscillating between telling a fantastic story and being a war film.
Pan's Labyrinth navigates constantly between a childish universe, a little in the manner of the World of Narnia, and an agonizing and heavy atmosphere. It's success has attracted viewers from all over the world. Obviously you'll need to watch it in its original version, or with subtitles, to totally immerse yourself in a completely original universe, populated by soldiers and monsters.
REC
Warning: this is a horror movie! Why not after all... Nothing prevents you from considering REC as a way to work on your Spanish language comprehension. If you don't normally watch horror movies, one tip we recommend is watching the movie with subtitles and jotting down any new vocabulary, so you can learn while you watch!
Directed by Spaniards Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró in 2007, REC has since become a series, with 4 movies. When it was released in 2007, the feature film was a real success.
REC helped relaunch a genre of horror movies called "found footage." This genre was initially created by The Blair Witch Project, but movies like REC helped the genre soar in ratings!
Why? Because it (re)launched a genre; that of the horror movie in an embedded camera. This is also known as "found footage", a genre created by The Blair Witch Project.
Here the action is located in Barcelona, accompanied by a journalist and a cameraman following night firefighters. The news report will bring them to a building where a strange virus is raging. They find themselves quickly quarantined by the authorities... You'll have to watch REC during your next movie night to find out what happens next!
Talk to Her (Hable con elle)
Spanish cinema is also directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The Spanish director is so well known throughout the world that he sometimes comes to personify the Iberian cinema on his own. It must be said that the cinema of Almodóvar, through his many films, still sticks in many people's minds.
You either love it or hate it, but either way it is recognized as a special alchemy between absurdity, psychological thriller, sex, social comedy, drama... Talk to her is a mix of all of this.
Directed in 2002, the film tells the story of two men who form a bond whilst they are caring for two women who are both in a coma.
Of course, the original version or the subtitled version will allow you to deal with more intense and dense dialogues. This film is perfect for intermediate and advanced Spanish speakers.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios)
We are once again in the world of Pedro Almodóvar, with one of his most famous movies: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown! But while the previous film pours more into anguish and doubt, Almodóvar delivers a real comedy here. Directed in 1988, the film stars two of the most famous faces of the Spanish director: Antonio Banderas and Carmen Maura.
Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is above all a totally wacky comedy, in the dialogues, as well as in the costumes. The rhythm is sustained. The original version or the original version with subtitles will therefore allow young linguists of intermediate or advanced level to try out their Spanish ear to the humorous and energetic Almodóvar.
Cell 211 (Celda 211)
Lets go back to the thriller genre. Cell 211 is an excellent example of the health of Spanish cinema, as well as its ability to export some of its films.
Cell 211 was actually inspired by the novel of the same name by Francisco Pérez Gandul. Not only can you watch the movie to improve your Spanish comprehension, but you can read the book to practice your reading ability. Let us know which was better... the book or movie?
Released in 2009, Cell 211 tells the rather terrible and anguishing story of Juan, a newly employed high security prison officer. Eager to do well, the main character, Juan Oliver, decides to go to the prison a day before he is due to start his new job. However, it is the exact moment in which the prisoners choose to carry out riots and mutiny.
Wounded and abandoned by his future colleagues, he finds himself locked up with the criminals, who obviously do not know him yet. To save his skin, he must pretend to be one of their own.
Cell 211 is a very good movie, that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
The film uses some colloquial vocabulary, so you will be able to learn something a little bit different than if you are using some of the best books for learning Spanish, which generally tend to stick to more formal forms of Spanish expression.
The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos)
The Secret in Their Eyes is a highly thought of film. Not only was it voted as one of the BBC's 100 greatest films of the 21st century in 2016, but it also won the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film in 2010.
The Secret in Their Eyes won the Academy Award in 2010.
The Secret in Their Eyes won the Goya in 2010.
Soledad Villamil won the Goya Award in 2010.
This shows what a cinematic masterpiece it is. In this work by Jose Juan Campanella, we find this intensity in the emotions that we regularly find in Argentinian cinema. The emotional aspects within the film are felt more with great intensity when fully understood, looking for Spanish lessons online could be the first step to understanding the brilliance of this Spanish film.
During this movie, Benjamin Esposito, a policeman, has spent 25 years investigating an unsolved murder. He is obsessed by the non-resolution of this affair, which deprived a husband of the "pure love" of his wife. A story that will remind him constantly of his own, as he is the lover of his work colleague.
25 years later, new elements will allow him to finally track down the murderer. Played masterfully by Ricardo Darin and Soledad Villamil, The Secret in Their Eyes is a crime and love thriller that will leave you breathless.
Colombia Magia Salvaje
One great reason to learn Spanish is to visit Colombia, a country with almost unparalleled levels of biodiversity and geography. In this documentary, the director Mike Slee gives you an insight into the wonderful Colombian Amazon which is home to a huge number of different birds, animals, and plants. It shows Colombia as you have never seen it before: diverse, vibrant, and colourful.
This natural paradise is captured perfectly through great shots which will appeal to travelers and nature lovers alike. Tune your ear to the Colombian accent as the narrator explains what is going on in a surprisingly clear way, making it not only a fascinating and educative watch, but also giving you the chance to practice your Spanish listening skills.
The Perfect Crime (Crimen Ferpecto)
The Perfect Crime tells the story of a shopkeeper in a department store who kills one of his colleagues by accident. One of the saleswomen of the perfumery department witnesses the scene and takes advantage of the situation to blackmail the seller, especially on a sexual level.
This dark comedy can also couple up as a Spanish lesson. For the eagle-eyed amongst you, you will notice that ferpecto is actually spelt incorrectly as it should be perfecto. The inversion of the letters in the title of the film is done on purpose and you will understand the reason why, when you watch it.
You will have the opportunity to practice a very good Castilian by listening to Guillermo Toledo who plays the role of Rafael, the shop's top seller and irresistible seducer, who conquers all the sellers of the ready-to-wear department.
The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro)
We move from comedy to drama with this Spanish dramatic film. Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside) deals with the true story of Ramón Sampedro, played by Javier Bardem, who became quadriplegic after an accident. This Spanish film was awarded the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
The movie received 14 Goyas, Cinema Awards awarded annually by the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Cinematography of Spain since 1987.
Why should you watch this movie? For the strong story between Ramón, who can only move his head after the accident, and Rosa, a young worker full of joy and life who wants to help Ramón. A story about the end of life that is particularly resonant today where the debate about euthanasia and assisted suicide is often in the public eye.
Snow White (Blanca Nieves)
Film directed by Pablo Berger, this drama released in 2013 tells the story of Carmen, a beautiful girl whose childhood was marked by her mother-in-law. The action is located in the 1920s in southern Spain. Carmen meets a traveling troupe of dwarf bullfighters who will integrate her in to their troop and give her the nickname Blanca Nieves or Snow White in English.
Sparkling visually, this film is declared as a lightly cruel poem, punctuated by the energetic flamenco of Alfonso de Vilallonga.
Review of Blanca Nieves
In black and white, without dialogue, this Andalusian and silent version ofSnow White remains to be discovered for its intensity, especially its gaze on the bullfight.
Sex and Lucia (Lucia y el Sexo)
This is a film by Julio Medem, who was named Best Director by the Goya at the beginning of his career. After the death of her boyfriend, Lucia, who is a waitress in Madrid, disappears. She takes herself off to a Mediterranean island in order to recharge her batteries. In the calm of her exile, she rediscovers the troubled aspects of her former love relationship.
The main actress, Paz Vega, won the the Goya award for Best New Actress in 2001 for her role as Lucía in this film. It also marked a turning point in her career as she was subsequently noticed by a certain Pedro Almodóvar who gave her a small role in "Speak With Her".
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
This Spanish-American film was written and directed by Woody Allen, and was filmed in New York, Asturias and Catalonia! Do not hesitate to put it in original Spanish version to listen to Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. For Anglophones, you can also see it again in its English version and fall under the spell of Scarlett Johansson.
The story of Vicky Cristina Barcelona (VCB) is located in Barcelona, where two Americans, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are on vacation.
The story of Vicky Cristina Barcelona (VCB) is located in Barcelona, where two Americans, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are on vacation.
It is in the Catalan city that they fall under the spell of Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), playing the role of a painter who invites them to spend a weekend of fun in his beautiful house in Oviedo. Add the return of Maria Elena, Juan Antonio's ex-wife, played by the dark and beautiful Penelope Cruz, and you get a very sensual film. VCB received a Golden Globe Award in 2009 for Best Comedy.
All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre)
A Franco-Spanish film by Pedro Almodóvar made in 1999, Todo Sobre Mi Madre will allow you to discover the Spanish of the Madrilenians. Manuela is a nurse in Madrid who takes her only son, Esteban, to the theater to watch A Streetcar Named Desire. Shocked by a revelation about his father, Esteban is the victim of a fatal accident.
The film is a tribute to a woman who will do everything possible to find the father of Esteban, who in the meantime has changed sex.
Poor, amoral and atypical like many of Almodóvar's films, Todo Sobre Mi Madre is a hymn for life and women, to whom the director dedicates a limitless passion.
This great Spanish film won the Staging Award at the Festival of Cannes and an Oscar for Best Film in a Foreign Language.
Volver
By now you are probably starting to see a pattern; Pedro Almodóvar is an extremely important figure in Spanish cinema. Volver is another of his great films, featuring an actress that he has worked with many times, Penelope Cruz. This feature was part of the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.
Volver is the story of Raimunda, played by Penelope Cruz, who lives with her companion Paco, and her 14-year-old daughter. In the company of Soledad, his sister, Raimunda returns to her native village to look after their parents' graves and visit their aunt Paula, who is starting to lose her head.
This iconic movie portrays three generations of women and their struggles to survive during difficult times. It is a declaration of love to all women, and the dialogues between the characters will be interesting for all to see.
Teaching yourself Spanish can be tough at times, and getting an opportunity to practice can be difficult if you decide to go it alone. But Almodóvar's films give you a great chance to practice your listening skills, a key component of learning the Spanish language.
Bad Education (La Mala Educación)
The latest film on the triptych devoted to Almodóvar, The Bad Education features Enrique and Ignacio, two friends who have been raised in a religious school and who have been subject to the ill-treatment and abuse of a paedophile priest, Father Manolo.
The film takes place entirely in Spain, mainly in the cities of Madrid, Valencia and Alella. It depicts the young Gael Garcia Bernal, who has to assume a triple role of a brother mythomaniac, revengeful and a homosexual.
This is a good film to watch with the subtitles on so that you can fully understand what's going on. Just like learning Spanish with an app can focus on vocabulary, watching films with the subtitles on will allow you to learn new Spanish words.
Directed Over 41 Films
Director Pedro Almodóvar
Listed is a few of Almodóvar's top films!
1980
Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom
Almodóvar's debut movie!
1988
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
2002
Talk to Her
2006
Volver
2019
Pain and Glory
Thesis (Tesis)
Let's put dramatic comedies aside and go for a thriller directed by Alejandro Amenabar, also writer, actor and producer. In fact, it is the first feature film directed by Amenabar, which caused a sensation at the Berlin Festival, and which won 7 Goyas in 1996.
Angela, a film student preparing a thesis on audiovisual violence, discovers in the course of her investigation that the snuff movies (films in which people actually die) exist and that their authors are not very far from her...
The Invisible Guest (Contratiempo)
Directed by Oriol Paulo in 2016, this a film which will truly keep you engaged right until the very end. When Adrián Doria, a successful young businessman, is in a car crash on a deserted country road with his mistress, and the driver of the other car dies, they are faced with a question of what to do next. They decide to dispose of the body, but a series of subsequent events lead Adrián down a path of lies and deceit.
Upon going to a hotel to pay a bribe to someone who claims to have information on the car crash, he is hit over the head and wakes up with his mistress dead in the hotel room. He is arrested by the police, and placed under house arrest. His lawyer arranges for a witness preparation expert to come to his house to prepare him for the upcoming trial, but not everything is as it seems. Learning Spanish online is becoming increasingly popular, and with availability on Netflix in various parts of the world, Contratiempo could contribute to your online Spanish education.
Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos)
We will finish this selection with a second Spanish film directed by Alejandro Amenabar. Open Your Eyes (1998) has been the subject of an American remake that you may have already seen: Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz.
In Open Your Eyes, you will find Penelope Cruz in one of her best roles to date. A thriller worthy of the title of one of Almodovar's greatest films.
Under the Same Moon (La misma luna)
Under the Same Moon is dramatic movie about a single mother, Rosario, that risks everything by working illegally in the US in order to provide for her son, Carlitos. Watch as Rosario sacrifices everything to support Carlitos and her dream of a better life.
Directed by Patricia Riggen, Under the Same Moon won the ALMA Award in 2008 for Outstanding Spanish Language Motion Picture, and continues to pull at the heart strings of those who watch.
How Can Television Improve your Spanish Skills?
Watching movies and series in Spanish has some assets:
- Hear the correct pronunciation of words by native speakers
- Hear and understand the structure of sentences in Spanish
- Pick up how the Spanish language is used in everyday life. By accessing movies from various countries, you can hear accents, but more importantly, the use of words and street slang.
- Deepen your learning of Spanish at a level that is accessible and inexpensive.
Never forget that Spanish is an accessible language for everyone. It doesn't matter if you want to help a dyslexic child learn Spanish, or if you just want to help your children with their Spanish homework. You will find great TV shows and films that can help you learn the language of Cervantes.
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