Some of my favorites so far: Amores perros (Mexico, 2000) : Three lives, two at the bottom of the social ladder and one at the top, collide in a car crash in Mexico City. Y tu mamá también (Mexico, 2001) : Two high-school age Mexican guys go on an impromptu road trip to a semi-mythical beach with an older Spanish woman they just met. El aura (Argentina, 2005) : An epileptic taxidermist passes his spare moments planning the perfect bank robbery. How will his fantasies play out in reality? El secreto de sus ojos (Argentina, 2009) : A former federal justice agent writes a novel based around one of the cases he worked...and in the process reinvestigates it. También la lluvia (Spain, 2010) : A Spanish film crew goes to Bolivia to shoot a movie about Christopher Columbus but the harsh social realities of the locale make things a lot more difficult than expected. Post tenebras lux (Mexico, 2013) : A wealthy, worldly Mexican family tries to settle down in the countryside. Surreal and captivating. What Spanish-language movies have you guys enjoyed?
I really enjoyed El Lobo (Spain, 2004). It's a film based on the memoires of an infiltrator into ETA during the fascist dictatorship. Lots of bad guys, no real good guys. For a bit of a crazy diversion, you can always try Sin Ton Ni Sonia (Mexico, 2003) -- a comedy revolving around a TV voice-over artist, dubbing a series about a serial killer in the US, and the serial killer crosses the border... And of course (need it be mentioned) El Laberinto del Fauno (Spain, 2006). Quite simply one of the best pieces of cinema ever. These are the ones that jump out at me now, but I've seen many, and maybe I'll remember some more shortly....
The films below are all available in full for free on Youtube. Three are Cuban, I linked them because they might otherwise be overlooked. I especially love Fresa y Chocolate which had some traction in the USA and received generally positive reviews. Jorge Perugorría's performance is mesmerizing. The other two are lesser works, but have their charms. The other Youtuber is the Venezuelan documentary Tocar y Luchar -- it's the pretty good doc with the tremendous subject of El Sistema. Fresa y Chocolate Tocar y Luchar Lista de Espera Nada Additionally I can recommend most anything by Pedro Almodóvar (I love actress Rossy de Palma who Almodóvar has featured several times. See her once and decide for yourself.) I also enjoyed Cría Cuervos (Carlos Saura). Do you like old movies? Has anyone seen Muerte de un ciclista ? There are tons of enjoyable movies in Spanish, look forward to the further recommendations of others and will watch every film that others list here.
I have seen "Muerte de un ciclista" and recommend it. "Viridiana" is another good old movie among others by Buñuel. If you have a taste for the surreal, last weekend we saw (in an actual movie theater) a film called "La Danza de la Realidad". Here's the trailer (with French subtitles): If you like scary, a good one is "El Orfanato" directed by Guillermo del Toro. A friend highly recommended "La niña santa", but I haven't seen it yet.
Nueve Reinas is an Argentinian crime drama that is thoroughly enjoyable. A solid pace and some fun twists and turns make for a smooth ride. I found myself so into it I didn't even realize I was reading subtitles!
I asked friends for some recommendations a wee while ago, and here are some of the ones that weren't already mentioned. All from Spain. Ones I've seen: Abre los ojos (drama) El cuerpo (psychological thriller) Tacones lejanos and ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? (Pedro Almodóvar; my Spanish friends all seem to love his films, they're good but a bit strange.) REC (horror) El día de la bestia (silly B-movie style black comedy/horror) Diario de una ninfómana (erotic drama) Balada triste de trompeta (drama) On my list but not watched yet: El bola (drama) Celda 211 (prison thriller) Los ojos de Julia (horror) ¿Para qué sirve un oso? (comedy) Fuera de carta (drama) El sol del membrillo (drama)
