Spanish Language Movies

Spanish language movies are a huge part of Spanish culture, they range from extreme melodrama to general life in the Spanish speaking world. Spanning over two different continents and varied countries throughout the world, there is a smorgasbord of titles to choose from.

Not to mention, watching Spanish language movies is one of the best ways to learn Spanish. It is a great way to boost your vocabulary and also get a sense of how conversational Spanish works. If you aren't that good a speaking Spanish yet, then you can always turn on the English subtitles, unless they are already there. And yes, you will hear varied comments about this method. Some people think its not a great technique because the translations are often a little different and honestly, sometimes they are wrong. BUT, once you start advancing your Spanish speaking or simply understanding the basics of the language, you will see where the mistakes are and will find that you are learning more using this approach than if you were doing absolutely nothing at all.

And if you are desperate to just start learning Spanish instantly and simply can't wait any longer, do what I did, speed up the process and start with Rocket Spanish, and you will understand Spanish movies in no time.

So far I have some favorites, and plan to add many more to my list as time goes by. So if you have any recommendations for some great movies in Spanish, share them here.

I am a movie buff and am constantly adding movies to my blockbuster queue. If you aren't doing that yet, you should take a look. What I love about it is I just add movies to my queue when I see a great preview or get a recommendation from someone else, and sometimes I completely forget that it's there until I get that surprise in the mail.

Ok, back to my favs.

Pan's Labyrinth

What an absolutely spectacular movie, from the storyline to the visual effects. I was drawn in from the beginning and just couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. It is serious and harsh, but yet the little girl enjoys her fantasy through and through. I just can't say enough about this movie, you just have to see it. It does come with English subtitles so it is great to follow along and learn some Spanish while you are watching it. This is one of those Spanish language movies that is so good that you'll get to the point where you won't even notice that it is in Spanish.

Movie Synopsis

This is one of those Spanish language movies, created by a great Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro returns to the phantasmagorical cinema that defined such early fare as Cronos and The Devil's Backbone with this haunting fantasy-drama set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and detailing the strange journeys of an imaginative young girl who may be the mythical princess of an underground kingdom. Her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), recently remarried to sadistic army captain Vidal (Sergi López) and soon to bear the cruel military man's child, shy young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is forced to entertain herself as her recently-formed family settles into their new home nestled deep in the Spanish countryside.

Volver

This was very interesting movie with a somewhat unusual and mystical twist to it, but yet it also gets really serious telling the story from the mind of a child and a dead mother. Penelope Cruz does a wonderful job in this movie, along with all the other actors

 

Movie Synopsis

This is one of those Spanish language movies that comes with a little twist. Two sisters learn that the bonds of family don't always end after death in this gentle observational comedy drama that marks celebrated Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's 16th feature. The story explores the interactions between three generations of women in a Spanish family. Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) was born and raised in the apocryphal village of Alcanfor de las Infantas, in La Mancha, Spain. However, she now resides in Madrid, where she works as a janitor. She is married to Paco (Antonio de la Torre), an unemployed layabout, and looks after her daughter, Paula (Yohana Cobo). Raimunda's mother, Irene (Carmen Maura), died several years back (along with her father) in a house fire.

Maria Full of Grace

This movie had a very interesting plot seen from the eyes of a teenager struggling to be someone more than just a worker in a sweatshop trying to support her entire family. It was really well done and worth the watch. Again, it's a great way to learn a little Spanish while you are being entertained.

Movie Synopsis

New York-based writer/director Joshua Marston makes his feature film debut with the coming-of-age drama Maria Full of Grace, with a script developed at the Sundance Screenwriter's Lab. Catalina Sandino Moreno plays Maria Alvarez, a teenager living in Bogotá, Colombia. Along with most of the other able-bodied people in her community, she works a perilous job in a flower plantation. She wants to quit, but her large family depends on her meager salary. One day, Maria meets a smooth-talking young man named Franklin. He offers her a business proposition to make some money and travel. However, the task involves her acting as a drug mule and smuggling heroin into the U.S. Maria Full of Grace premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the dramatic competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

The next on my list of Spanish language movies to see, is Sin Nombre, it's about a Mexican gang member who leaves the gang to live a "normal" life and the trials and tribulations he has to face along the way. Mostly he has to deal with the fact that the gang he left now wants his head on a platter.

So that is a few of the great Spanish language movies out there, of course there are tons more, to see more check out the top 10 list of best Spanish movies written by Nick Horton. He wrote some fabulous reviews on some more recent movies.