(Photo by (Photo by Sony Pictures Classics, Republic Pictures, IFC Films, Picturehouse, Cowboy Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection))
The 170 Essential Spanish-Language Movies
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States, and the recent boom in streaming services has made it easier than ever for audiences looking for Spanish-language movies to find them. Earlier this year, Alfonso Cuarón’s landmark film Roma earned an impressive 10 Oscar nominations, and the director took home three statuettess for Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Foreign Language Film. He followed the wins of his fellow Mexican directors Guillermo del Toro (Best Director and Best Picture for The Shape of Water) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Best Picture for Birdman, Best Director for Birdman and The Revenant). Their accomplishments have brought the resurgence of Mexican cinema to Hollywood’s doorstep.
However, the picture is not so rosy for other Latin American movies and filmmakers trying to break into an industry that has been ignoring smaller independent films in favor of franchises, and the U.S. Latino and Hispanic filmmakers still fighting for their one shot at working in the movie business. In the United States, Latino and Hispanic moviegoers are almost a silent and invisible majority when it comes to representation. They buy about one out of every four movie tickets, yet make up only single-digit slivers of the entertainment industry.
As the conversation about representation and systemic obstacles continues, and the Oscars have renamed their Foreign Language Film category to Best International Feature Film, let’s take a look back at the rich history of Spanish-language movies for Hispanic Heritage Month. Back in the 1960s, when the discussion of identities in the U.S. was in full swing, “Hispanic” became the catchall term for Spanish-speaking countries in South and Central America and Spain. Although today, many prefer the terms Latino – which specifically refers to those of us from Latin American countries no matter what language we speak – the U.S. has observed Hispanic Heritage Month since 1989.
To be considered for this list of essential Spanish-language films, one of the most prominent spoken languages in the movie must be Spanish. This is why you may notice a handful of U.S. Latino favorites like Selena or Real Women Have Curves missing, since the main language in those movies is English. While this rule may also leave Brazil’s vast cinematic legacy for a future list, we tried to include as many different countries across Latin America as possible.
For our most recent update, we added the latest Certified Fresh Spanish-language films, including The Eternal Memory, Wild Tales, Kill The Jockey, Even in The Rain, Emilia Pérez, and more.
So, from the grassy steppes of Argentina to Cuba’s famed stone boardwalk and on to Mexico’s bustling capital, join us as we celebrate Spanish-language cinema near and far, not just this month, but throughout the year and the many more still to come. (Monica Castillo, with additional research by Manuel Betancourt and Ivette García Dávila.)
#1
(1964)
100%
Critics Consensus: Visually absorbing and formally audacious, I Am Cuba (Soy Cuba) opens a long-buried time capsule that has lost none of its captivating power.
Synopsis: A study in contrasts set in and around Havana that explores Cuba’s 1959 revolution. A young woman’s fascination with the
[More]
#2
(2010)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In Chile’s Atacama Desert, widows search for the bones of loved ones, left by Pinochet’s atrocities.
[More]
#3
(2013)
100%
Critics Consensus: Marvelously directed by Sebastian Lelio and beautifully led by a powerful performance from Paulina Garcia, Gloria takes an honest, sweetly poignant look at a type of character that’s all too often neglected in Hollywood.
Synopsis: An aging divorcee (Paulina García) embarks on an intense affair with a man (Sergio Hernández) she picked up at a
[More]
#4
(2022)
99%
Critics Consensus: Rodrigo Sorogoyen throws us into rural Galicia with The Beasts, where tension and unease spread like wildfire in a scorching tale of decayed human nature.
Synopsis: An expatriate French couple (Denis Ménochet and Marina Foïs) operate an organic farm in the Spanish countryside. However, their earnest
[More]
#5
(2018)
99%
Critics Consensus: The Chambermaid uses one woman’s experiences to take audiences inside a life — and a culture — that’s as bracingly unique as it is hauntingly relatable.
Synopsis: A young chambermaid working in one of the most luxurious hotels in Mexico City enrolls in the hotel’s adult education
[More]
#6
(2019)
98%
Critics Consensus: I’m No Longer Here‘s occasionally uneven narrative is more than offset by its honest and visually poetic approach to themes of identity and assimilation.
Synopsis: After a misunderstanding with a local cartel, a young man is forced to leave behind his family, friends and everything
[More]
#7
(2019)
97%
Critics Consensus: As narratively urgent as it is technically well-crafted, Midnight Family offers an enthralling and disquieting glimpse of healthcare in modern Mexico.
Synopsis: In Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a private ambulance. As they try to make a living in
[More]
#8
(2017)
97%
Critics Consensus: Tigers Are Not Afraid draws on childhood trauma for a story that deftly blends magical fantasy and hard-hitting realism – and leaves a lingering impact.
Synopsis: When a girl’s mother disappears leaving her on her own, she goings a gang of street children, leading to a
[More]
#9
(2018)
97%
Critics Consensus: Led by a standout performance from Ana Brun, The Heiresses takes a thoroughly compelling look at lives little explored by mainstream cinema.
Synopsis: A woman who lost her fortune befriends a younger woman.
[More]
#10
(2004)
97%
Critics Consensus: In a striking debut, Moreno carries the movie and puts a human face on the drug trade.
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Colombian Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is desperate: pregnant and with a large family to care for, she’s forced to
[More]
#11
(2020)
97%
Critics Consensus: A slow-burning descent into desperation, Identifying Features uses one shattered family’s ordeal to offer a harrowing look at the immigrant experience.
Synopsis: A middle-aged woman embarks on an increasingly dangerous journey to locate her son, who’s gone missing after leaving Mexico to
[More]
#12
(2023)
97%
Critics Consensus: A heartfelt film that tells a poignant story without straying into sentimentality, Tótem is a life-affirming triumph for writer-director Lila Avilés.
Synopsis: In a bustling Mexican household, seven-year-old Sol is swept up in a whirlwind of preparations for the birthday party for
[More]
#13
(2022)
97%
Critics Consensus: A bone-chilling body horror, Huesera offers genre fans a twisted take on What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
Synopsis: Valeria’s joy at becoming a first-time mother is quickly taken away when she’s cursed by a sinister entity. As danger
[More]
#14
(2017)
96%
Critics Consensus: Zama offers a series of scathingly insightful observations about colonialism and class dynamics — and satisfyingly ends a long wait between projects from writer-director Lucrecia Martel.
Synopsis: Zama, an officer of the Spanish Crown born in South America, waits for a letter from the King granting him
[More]
#15
(2018)
96%
Critics Consensus: Surreal, unsettling, and finally haunting, The Wolf House is a stunning outpouring of creativity whose striking visuals queasily complement its disturbing story.
Synopsis: A young woman takes refuge in a strange house in the woods after escaping from a German colony in southern
[More]
#16
(2019)
96%
Critics Consensus: La Llorona puts a fresh spin on the familiar legend by blending the supernatural and the political to resolutely chilling effect.
Synopsis: Alma is murdered with her children during a military attack in Guatemala, but when the general who ordered the genocide
[More]
#17
(2018)
96%
Critics Consensus: Too Late to Die Young uses one family’s experiences as the foundation for a dreamily absorbing drama with a poignant, lingering warmth.
Synopsis: During the summer of 1990 in Chile, three kids face their first loves and fears.
[More]
#18
(2018)
96%
Critics Consensus: Roma finds writer-director Alfonso Cuarón in complete, enthralling command of his visual craft – and telling the most powerfully personal story of his career.
Synopsis: Cleo is one of two domestic workers who help Antonio and Sofía take care of their four children in 1970s
[More]
#19
(2019)
96%
Critics Consensus: Pain and Glory finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar drawing on his own life to rewarding effect — and honoring his craft as only a master filmmaker can.
Synopsis: An aging Spanish film director in the middle of a creative crisis revisits memorable events of his past.
[More]
#20
(2023)
96%
Critics Consensus: Offering few surprises but plenty of uplift, Radical tells a stirring fact-based story brought to life by some top-flight work from Eugenio Derbez.
Synopsis: In a Mexican border town plagued by neglect, corruption, and violence, a frustrated teacher tries a radical new method to
[More]
#21
(2022)
96%
Critics Consensus: Justice is served in Argentina 1985, a crusading courtroom drama that shines a light on historically somber times with refreshing levity.
Synopsis: Argentina, 1985 is a feature inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo and their young legal
[More]
#22
(2023)
96%
Critics Consensus: A hard-hitting horror film whose surface-level frights are just as engaging as its thematic concerns, When Evil Lurks marks a viscerally unsettling addition to the possession horror canon.
Synopsis: When brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jimmy (Demián Salomón) discover that a demonic infection has been festering in a nearby
[More]
#23
(1999)
98%
Critics Consensus: Almodovar weaves together a magnificent tapestry of femininity with an affectionate wink to classics of theater and cinema in this poignant story of love, loss and compassion.
Synopsis: New friends help a woman (Cecilia Roth) struggling to get her life in order after her son’s (Eloy Azorín) death.
[More]
#24
(2021)
96%
Critics Consensus: A brilliant forum for Penélope Cruz’s talent, Parallel Mothers reaffirms the familiar pleasures of Almodóvar’s filmmaking while proving he’s still capable of growth.
Synopsis: Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single
[More]
#25
(2015)
96%
Critics Consensus: As rich visually as it is thematically, Embrace of the Serpent offers a feast of the senses for film fans seeking a dose of bracing originality.
Synopsis: In the early 1900s, a young shaman in the Colombian Amazon helps a sick German explorer and his local guide
[More]
#26
(2020)
95%
Critics Consensus: Warm and funny, The Mole Agent offers audiences a poignant reminder that it’s never too late to forge new connections and embark on new adventures.
Synopsis: An 83-year-old man poses as a resident in a Chilean nursing home to see if he can find signs of
[More]
#27
(2006)
95%
Critics Consensus: Pan’s Labyrinth is Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable.
Synopsis: In 1944 Spain young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her ailing mother (Ariadna Gil) arrive at the post of her mother’s
[More]
#28
(2003)
95%
Critics Consensus: Gabba gabba hey! With its focus on the groundbreaking work of the 1970s punk band The Ramones End of the Century makes a solid entry into the growing canon of documentaries that capture Punkology.
Synopsis: Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee — better known as The Ramones — changed the course of rock history with their
[More]
#29
(2014)
94%
Critics Consensus: Wickedly hilarious and delightfully deranged, Wild Tales is a subversive satire that doubles as a uniformly entertaining anthology film.
Synopsis: A waitress adds a special ingredient to an arrogant loan shark’s meal in one of several tales dealing with extremes
[More]
#30
(2012)
94%
Critics Consensus: Smartly written and beautiful to behold, Blancanieves uses its classic source material to offer a dark tale, delightfully told.
Synopsis: Rescued from her evil stepmother (Maribel Verdú) by dwarves, a young woman (Macarena García) becomes a bullfighter like her late
[More]
#31
(2019)
94%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by an outstanding Hugh Jackman, Bad Education finds absurd laughs — and a worthy message — in the aftermath of a real-life scandal.
Synopsis: A Long Island school superintendent and his assistant are credited with bringing the district unprecedented prestige. Frank is a master
[More]
#32
(2017)
94%
Critics Consensus: Subtle and tender, A Fantastic Woman handles its timely, sensitive subject matter with care.
Synopsis: A transgender singer faces scorn and discrimination after the sudden death of her older boyfriend.
[More]
#33
(2023)
93%
Critics Consensus: Led by young Sofía Otero’s outstanding performance, 20,000 Species of Bees explores an array of weighty themes with gentle humanity.
Synopsis: In a small, sleepy village in the Basque Country, a sculptor named Ane and her three children arrive at her
[More]
#34
(2001)
93%
Critics Consensus: Creepily atmospheric and haunting, The Devil’s Backbone is both a potent ghost story and an intelligent political allegory.
Synopsis: After losing his father, 10-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve) arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphans of the Republican
[More]
#35
(2012)
93%
Critics Consensus: No uses its history-driven storyline to offer a bit of smart, darkly funny perspective on modern democracy and human nature.
Synopsis: In 1988, international pressure comes to bear on Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, forcing him to call a referendum on his
[More]
#36
(2014)
93%
Critics Consensus: A striking effort that synthesizes disparate influences with inventive flair, Güeros marks a bold step forward for modern Mexican cinema.
Synopsis: Three restless teens search for folk-rocker Epigmenio Cruz on the streets of Mexico City during the student strikes of 1999.
[More]
#37
(2023)
93%
Critics Consensus: A near-masterpiece for director/co-writer Victor Erice, Close Your Eyes ends his long gap between films with a moving meditation on memory, identity, and cinema itself.
Synopsis: Set in contemporary Madrid, an aging filmmaker named Miguel Garay is called upon to recount his memories of working on
[More]
#38
(2000)
93%
Critics Consensus: The brutality of Amores Perros may be difficult to watch at times, but this intense, gritty film packs a hard wallop.
Synopsis: “Amores Perros” is a bold, intensely emotional, and ambitious story of lives that collide in a Mexico City car crash.
[More]
#39
(2019)
93%
Critics Consensus: As visually splendid as it is thought-provoking, Monos takes an unsettling look at human nature whose grim insights leave a lingering impact.
Synopsis: A terrorized American engineer is held captive by teenaged guerilla bandits in a South American jungle.
[More]
#40
(2023)
92%
Critics Consensus: Telling a deeply personal story against a profound political backdrop, The Eternal Memory offers poignant testament to the power of love and remembrance.
Synopsis: Augusto and Paulina have been together and in love for 25 years. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
[More]
#41
(2016)
92%
Critics Consensus: Inventive, intelligent, and beautifully filmed, Neruda transcends the traditional biopic structure to look at the meaning beyond the details of its subject’s life.
Synopsis: A determined police inspector (Gael García Bernal) searches for Chilean politician Pablo Neruda (Luis Gnecco) after he goes into hiding
[More]
#42
(1983)
92%
Critics Consensus: Sensitively written, skillfully directed, and powerfully portrayed, El Norte wrings deeply affecting drama from intractable real-life issues.
Synopsis: When a group of Mayan Indians decides to organize a labor union to improve conditions in their village, their community
[More]
#43
(2001)
92%
Critics Consensus: Deliciously twist-filled, Nine Queens is a clever and satisfying crime caper.
Synopsis: “Nine Queens” is the story of two small-time swindlers, Juan (Gastón Pauls) and Marcos (Ricardo Darín), who team up after
[More]
#44
(2009)
92%
Critics Consensus: Like a perfect summer at the beach, Alamar bathes you in natural warmth as it explores the blossoming bond of a five-year-old and his dad.
Synopsis: A man and his son embark on an epic sea journey.
[More]
#45
(2004)
91%
Critics Consensus: This modest cinematic slice-of-life manages to subtly capture many small but resonant and truthful moments of adolescence.
Synopsis: Initially, adolescents Flama (Daniel Miranda) and Moko (Diego Cataño) are enjoying what promises to be an uneventful Sunday at Flama’s.
[More]
#46
(2006)
91%
Critics Consensus: Volver catches director Pedro Almodovar and star Penelope Cruz at the peak of their respective powers, in service of a layered, thought-provoking film.
Synopsis: Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) works and lives Madrid with her husband Paco and daughter Paula. Her sister Sole (Lola Dueñas) lives
[More]
#47
(1950)
91%
Critics Consensus: Los Olvidados casts an unsparing eye on juvenile crime — and the systemically flawed societies that allow it to flourish.
Synopsis: Once he escapes juvenile prison, El Jaibo (Miguel Inclán) resumes his role as the ringleader of a group troubled street
[More]
#48
(1992)
91%
Critics Consensus: Made on a shoestring budget, El Mariachi’s story is not new. However, the movie has so much energy that it’s thoroughly enjoyable.
Synopsis: El Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) is a traveling guitar player with the modest desire to play music for a living. Looking
[More]
#49
(2002)
91%
Critics Consensus: Another masterful, compassionate work from Pedro Almodovar.
Synopsis: Male nurse Benigno (Javier Cámara) becomes infatuated with a complete stranger when he watches dancer Alicia (Leonor Watling) practicing from
[More]
#50
(2007)
90%
Critics Consensus: Plunging viewers into the nightmarish hellscape of an apartment complex under siege, [Rec] proves that found footage can still be used as an effective delivery mechanism for sparse, economic horror.
Synopsis: A reporter (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman record the horrifying outbreak of a disease that turns humans into vicious cannibals.
[More]
#51
(2001)
90%
Critics Consensus: Led by a triumvirate of terrific performances, Alfonso Cuarón’s free-spirited road trip through Mexico is a sexy and wistful hymn to the fleetingness of youth.
Synopsis: The lives of Julio and Tenoch, like those of 17-year old boys everywhere, are ruled by raging hormones, intense friendships,
[More]
#52
(2023)
90%
Critics Consensus: Society of the Snow brings masterful technical skill to bear on its tale of real-life tragedy, but none of that spectacle comes at the expense of its simple, powerful message.
Synopsis: In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashed in
[More]
#53
(2009)
89%
Critics Consensus: Unpredictable and rich with symbolism, this Argentinian murder mystery lives up to its Oscar with an engrossing plot, Juan Jose Campanella’s assured direction, and mesmerizing performances from its cast.
Synopsis: Hoping to put to rest years of unease concerning a past case, retired criminal investigator Benjamín Espósito (Ricardo Darín) begins
[More]
#54
(2010)
88%
Critics Consensus: Aimed at adults and animated with zest, Chico & Rita is a romantic delight packed with cultural detail and flavor.
Synopsis: A Cuban pianist becomes smitten with a sultry singer, leading to a passionate but star-crossed romance that reaches across six
[More]
#55
(1992)
88%
Critics Consensus: Like Water for Chocolate plays to the senses with a richly rewarding romance that indulges in magical realism to intoxicating effect.
Synopsis: The youngest daughter in her family, the beautiful Tita (Lumi Cavazos) is forbidden to marry her true love, Pedro (Marco
[More]
#56
(1989)
88%
Critics Consensus: Those unfamiliar with Alejandro Jodorowsky’s style may find it overwhelming, but Santa Sangre is a provocative psychedelic journey featuring the director’s signature touches of violence, vulgarity, and an oddly personal moral center.
Synopsis: In Mexico, the traumatized son (Axel Jodorowsky) of a knife-thrower (Guy Stockwell) and a trapeze artist bonds grotesquely with his
[More]
#57
(2009)
88%
Critics Consensus: Part harrowing immigration tale, part gangster story, this debut by writer/director Cary Fukunaga is sensitive, insightful and deeply authentic.
Synopsis: Sayra (Paulina Gaitán), a Honduran teen, hungers for a better life. Her chance for one comes when she is reunited
[More]
#58
(1993)
88%
Critics Consensus: Guillermo del Toro’s unique feature debut is not only gory and stylish, but also charming and intelligent.
Synopsis: Antique dealer Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi) stumbles across Cronos, a 400-year-old scarab that, when it latches onto him, grants him
[More]
#59
(2011)
88%
Critics Consensus: Miss Bala’s subject is loaded enough, but the frantic and muscular filmmaking puts this movie in a whole new league.
Synopsis: A young woman dreams of becoming a beauty contest queen in Mexico.
[More]
#60
(2012)
88%
Critics Consensus: Disturbing, thought-provoking, and timely, Narco Cultura sheds some crucial light on an important — and underserved — subject.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Shaul Schwarz exposes the cycle of addiction to money, drugs and violence surrounding the war on drugs.
[More]
#61
(2007)
87%
Critics Consensus: Deeply unnerving and surprisingly poignant, The Orphanage is an atmospheric, beautifully crafted haunted house horror film that earns scares with a minimum of blood.
Synopsis: Laura (Belén Rueda) has happy memories of her childhood in an orphanage. She convinces her husband to buy the place
[More]
#62
(2010)
87%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Bolivian film extras launch a protest against the privatization of their water supply, which parallels the Spanish conquest and exploitation
[More]
#63
(2005)
87%
Critics Consensus: The Aura is a highly original and cerebral thriller that maintains its suspense from start to finish.
Synopsis: Shy taxidermist Espinosa (Ricardo Darín), who has epilepsy, dreams of committing the perfect crime. He unexpectedly gets the chance when
[More]
#64
(1997)
87%
Critics Consensus: Director Alejandro Amenábar tackles some heady issues with finesse and clarity in Open Your Eyes, a gripping exploration of existentialism and the human spirit.
Synopsis: Handsome 25-year-old Cesar (Eduardo Noriega) had it all — a successful career, expensive cars, a swank bachelor’s pad, and an
[More]
#65
(2001)
87%
Critics Consensus: Dense yet impressively focused, La Cienaga is a disquieting look at domestic dissatisfaction – and a powerful calling card for debuting writer-director Lucrecia Martel.
Synopsis: This Argentinean tale, which revolves around a group of families passing summer vacation in a rural country house, does not
[More]
#66
(2024)
87%
Critics Consensus: With Nahuel Pérez Biscayart’s captivating performance holding the reins, Kill the Jockey is an absorbing and wryly subversive riff on identity.
Synopsis: Once-renowned jockey Remo Manfredi (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) has run out of track. Perpetually inebriated, hopped up on horse drugs, and
[More]
#67
(2001)
86%
Critics Consensus: A film about one man’s mid-life crisis, The Son of the Bride is both touching and funny.
Synopsis: At age 42, Rafael Belvedere is having a crisis. He’s overwhelmed by his responsibilities and just isn’t having any fun.
[More]
#68
(2016)
86%
Critics Consensus: The Untamed attempts some ambitious tonal juggling between fantastical and disturbing — and draws viewers in with its slippery, inexorable pull.
Synopsis: A couple in a troubled marriage locate a meteorite, initiating an encounter with a mysterious creature. Their lives are turned
[More]
#69
(2015)
85%
Critics Consensus: As shockingly compelling as it is dispiriting, The Clan delivers hard-hitting lessons even for viewers unfamiliar with the real-life history behind its story.
Synopsis: The true story of the Puccio clan, a family with a dark secret lurking beneath their seemingly ordinary facade: they
[More]
#70
(2004)
85%
Critics Consensus: Held aloft by a transfixing performance from Javier Bardem as a terminally ill man who chooses to die, The Sea Inside transcends its melodramatic story with tenderness and grace.
Synopsis: Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem) is a Spanish ship mechanic and part-time poet who is left a quadriplegic after a diving
[More]
#71
(2008)
85%
Critics Consensus: Deliberately provocative, Tony Manero is as challenging and compelling as it is difficult to describe.
Synopsis: On weekends, 50-something Raul Peralta (Alfredo Castro) goes to the same bar outside his native Santiago, Chile, and, with friends,
[More]
#72
(2013)
85%
Critics Consensus: A compelling story cleverly told, We Are What We Are quenches horror buffs’ thirst for gore while serving up serious-minded filmmaking and solid acting.
Synopsis: The Parkers, reclusive people who cling to ancient customs, find their secret lives threatened when a torrential downpour and the
[More]
#73
(2009)
82%
Critics Consensus: Pedro Almodovar’s fourth film with Penélope Cruz isn’t his finest work, but he brings his signature visual brilliance to this noirish tale, and the cast turns in some first-class performances.
Synopsis: The death of Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez) sets off a chain of events that forces one man to come
[More]
#74
(2004)
83%
Critics Consensus: The Motorcycle Diaries is heartfelt and profound in its rendering of the formative experiences that turn Ernesto “Che” Guerva into a famous revolutionary.
Synopsis: On a break before his last semester of medical school, Ernesto “Che” Guevara (Gael García Bernal) travels with his friend
[More]
#75
(2002)
80%
Critics Consensus: Javier Bardem gives an outstanding performance in this hought-provoking (though occasionally plodding) movie about the effects of unemployment on a group of former shipyard workers.
Synopsis: Vigo, a port town in Spain, has fallen on hard times. The shipbuilding industry, which was a primary source of
[More]
#76
(1971)
80%
Critics Consensus: By turns intoxicating and confounding, El Topo contains the creative multitudes that made writer-director Alejandro Jodorowsky such a singular talent.
Synopsis: A black-clad gunfighter (Alejandro Jodorowsky) embarks on a symbolic quest in an Old West version of Sodom and Gomorrah.
[More]
#77
(2009)
78%
Critics Consensus: Claudia Llosa’s deliberate pace and abstract storytelling may frustrate some viewers, but there’s no denying the visual pleasures soaking in The Milk of Sorrow.
Synopsis: A woman suffers from a rare disease.
[More]
#78
(2004)
77%
Critics Consensus: This provocative, lyrical drama mixes themes of forbidden sexuality and redemptive faith with a touch of humanism in a memorable, if disorienting, visual style.
Synopsis: Amalia (María Alche) is an adolescent girl who is caught in the throes of her emerging sexuality and her deeply
[More]
#79
(2008)
76%
Critics Consensus: Careful and slight, Lucretia Martel’s Headless Woman doesn’t fit neatly into a clear storyline, but supports itself with ethereal visuals.
Synopsis: While driving down a deserted road, Veronica (María Onetto) hits something with her car as she struggles to answer her
[More]
#80
(2004)
71%
Critics Consensus: An unsettling and absorbing cautionary tale with John Leguizamo playing an unscrupulous TV reporter who uses the medium to further his own goals.
Synopsis: Reporter Manolo Bonilla (John Leguizamo) goes to a jail in Ecuador to interview Vinicio Cepeda (Damián Alcázar), a hit-and-run driver
[More]
#81
(2024)
71%
Critics Consensus: Karla Sofía Gascón is Emilia Perez in a swaggering musical crime thriller of genre-bending fascination that is also an unapologetically trans story.
Synopsis: From renegade auteur Jacques Audiard comes Emilia Pérez, an audacious fever dream that defies genres and expectations. Through liberating song
[More]
#82
(2022)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Amaia has just become a mother and realizes that she doesn’t really know how to be one. When her partner
[More]
#83
(2004)
100%
Critics Consensus: Live-In Maid is an insightful character piece with standout performances and a poignant slice of Argentina life.
Synopsis: During the Argentine economic crisis of the early 2000s, Beba (Norma Aleandro), who was once wealthy, does not have enough
[More]
#84
(2004)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A former SEAL (Pietro Sibille) with violent tendencies struggles to adjust to civilian life in the slums of Lima, Peru.
[More]
#85
(2001)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Rendered jobless by the American war on drugs in his native Bolivia, Freddy (Freddy Flores) crosses the border to Argentina,
[More]
#86
(1961)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A poor trucker gets involved with a charity drive and realizes the woes of other people.
[More]
#87
(1976)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A little girl (Ana Torrent) and her sisters are placed with an aunt (Geraldine Chaplin) in Madrid after their father
[More]
#88
(2018)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: UNDERTOW is the story of two women whose lives become dangerously enmeshed. Grieving the loss of her stillborn baby, Claire
[More]
#89
(2023)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: For the first time, complainants against La Luz del Mundo megachurch leaders expose the abuses they suffered through exclusive interviews.
[More]
#90
(2023)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A group of young women gathers at a country house for a week one to rehearse a play. “The Girls
[More]
#91
(1984)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In 1960s Spain, Paco (Alfredo Landa), his wife, Régula (Terele Pavez), and his brother-in-law Azarias (Francisco Rabal) work for slave
[More]
#92
(2014)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A desperate man (Luis Bermejo) blackmails a mentally ill woman (Bárbara Lennie) to buy a dress for his terminally ill
[More]
#93
(1985)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This Argentine drama focuses on Alicia (Norma Aleandro), a high school history teacher who is leading a comfortable life with
[More]
#94
(1965)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Simon (Claudio Brook) stands on top of a stone column in the middle of the desert and prays for six
[More]
#95
(2024)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Inspired on the true story of Manolo Vital, a bus driver who helped create the modern Barcelona during the 1970s
[More]
#96
(2015)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three families refuse to leave a village in Northwestern Mexico that is partially flooded.
[More]
#97
(2022)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A pair of childhood sweethearts gets another chance at love after spending years without each other. Everything is different, but
[More]
#98
(1955)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Professor Juan (Alberto Closas) is sleeping with Maria (Lucía Bosé), who’s married to a rich man. After one such tryst,
[More]
#99
(1983)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Estrella Arenas (Icíar Bollaín), a rural Spanish teenager with a rich imagination, dreams of her mysterious father Agustín (Omero Antonutti),
[More]
#100
(1960)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three mysterious deities visit impoverished peasant Macario (Ignacio López Tarso) when his wife (Pina Pellicer) prepares for him his favorite
[More]
#101
(2022)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After visiting a crime scene, an ambitious and insensitive tabloid crime photographer falls victim to a mysterious illness that makes
[More]
#102
(2023)
100%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Aitana returns home for Christmas for the first time in three years, only to find that her parents have replaced
[More]
#103
(1961)
97%
Critics Consensus: Viridiana is quintessential Bunuel: a masterpiece against the grain, designed to shock and awe.
Synopsis: Viridinia (Silvia Pinal) is preparing to start her life as a nun when she is sent, somewhat unwillingly, to visit
[More]
#104
(2012)
97%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A wild chase ensues when a rival carter tries to stop a teenager from delivering seven crates to the other
[More]
#105
(1970)
97%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: As a young woman, Tristana (Catherine Deneuve) is orphaned and taken under the guardianship of Don Lope (Fernando Rey), a
[More]
#106
(1968)
96%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Sergio (Sergio Corrieri), an affluent writer, chooses to stay behind in
[More]
#107
(1999)
96%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The heartwarming story of the relationship that develops between a shy young boy and his kind teacher in 1936 Spain.
[More]
#108
(2012)
95%
Critics Consensus: White Elephant thoughtfully delivers an old-fashioned social drama inspired by true events with technical mastery.
Synopsis: Julian and Nicolas work tirelessly to help people in a shantytown outside Buenos Aires. After a project is ruined, Nicolas
[More]
#109
(1992)
95%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: As Spain sits on the precipice of civil war in 1930, Fernando (Jorge Sanz) opts to go AWOL from the
[More]
#110
(2022)
95%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A virus spreads throughout the city, causing the infected to become vicious hunters. Iris and her daughter become caught in
[More]
#111
(2014)
94%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An opportunistic young woman (Yanet Mojica) becomes involved with a wealthy matriarch (Geraldine Chaplin).
[More]
#112
(2014)
94%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The diverse and vibrant transgender community in Puerto Rico.
[More]
#113
(1962)
94%
Critics Consensus: Societal etiquette devolves into depravity in Luis Buñuel’s existential comedy, effectively playing the absurdity of civilization for mordant laughs.
Synopsis: Edmundo Nobile (Enrique Rambal) invites friends over for an opulent dinner party. While the guests enjoy their food, the servants
[More]
#114
(1973)
93%
Critics Consensus: El Espíritu de la Colmena uses a classic horror story’s legacy as the thread for a singularly absorbing childhood fable woven with uncommon grace.
Synopsis: In an allegory of life after Gen. Franco’s victory in the Spanish Civil War, life in a remote village in
[More]
#115
(2019)
93%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In the mountains, a preacher known as The Lord begins to lose credibility after promising his naive followers that he
[More]
#116
(2014)
92%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A fisherman and a naive young man begin trafficking drugs up the Pacific coast of Colombia. As they tow a
[More]
#117
(1955)
92%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The wealthy Archibaldo (Ernesto Alonso) is a potential serial killer. This might be the result of a childhood incident: his
[More]
#118
(1988)
92%
Critics Consensus: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar working in a distinctly feminist vein, with richly rewarding results.
Synopsis: When Pepa Marcos’ (Carmen Maura) lover Ivan (Fernando Guillén) suddenly leaves her without any explanation, she embarks on a strange
[More]
#119
(2011)
91%
Critics Consensus: The strong lead performance, clever plot turns, and the unsettling ending makes Sleep Tight worth stalking.
Synopsis: César is the superintendent of an apartment building and keeps very close tabs on the tenants. He secretly enjoys inflicting
[More]
#120
(2000)
91%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Pablo (Juan José Ballesta) is a 12-year-old boy who is streetwise but scarred. He is emotionally and physically damaged by
[More]
#121
(2008)
91%
Critics Consensus: Martina Gusmán gives a feral performance in the Lion’s Den, a gripping prison drama so real even the camera perspires behind bars.
Synopsis: In the hazy morning after a threesome, expectant mother Julia Zárate (Martina Gusmán) finds her partner dead in her flat,
[More]
#122
(2018)
91%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#123
(2024)
90%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Venice, year 1800. What happens when an ancient music school receives a newly invented musical machine that everyone calls pianoforte?
[More]
#124
(2019)
89%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three siblings reunite in the Dominican Republic and face their demons as they let go of their last connection to
[More]
#125
(1968)
89%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: During Cuba’s war for independence from Spain, Lucia (Raquel Revuelta), a single woman from a wealthy family, betrays her brother,
[More]
#126
(2017)
88%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Nico, a young Argentine actor gives up a successful soap opera career for a chance to make it in New
[More]
#127
(2002)
88%
Critics Consensus: This modest road movie features naturalistic performances and a heartwarming tone of gentle humanism.
Synopsis: Three strangers are on the road to the same destination: San Julián, Argentina. The city represents diverse dreams for the
[More]
#128
(2019)
87%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In search of a better life, Max and Leo, are taken by the their mother, Lucia, from Mexico to Albuquerque
[More]
#129
(2004)
87%
Critics Consensus: Machuca is a touchingly bittersweet story of childhood friendship and a demonstration of how the political affects the personal.
Synopsis: Pedro (Ariel Mateluna), who comes from modest means, gets a free ride to an elite Catholic boarding school run by
[More]
#130
(2022)
87%
Critics Consensus: Dos Estaciones soberly distills the life of a woman and contemplates the rippling effect globalization has on small companies.
Synopsis: Dos Estaciones follows fifty-year-old businesswoman María García (Teresa Sánchez), the owner of Dos Estaciones, a once-majestic tequila factory now struggling
[More]
#131
(1966)
86%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three Spanish Civil War veterans snap while hunting rabbits with a boy on a battlefield.
[More]
#132
(1995)
86%
Critics Consensus: The Flower of My Secret finds Almodóvar revisiting old themes in a new, more subdued key, yielding a slight but vivacious work that delivers the pleasure of a punchy novella.
Synopsis: A Spanish writer who pens romance novels as Amanda Gris, Leo Macias (Marisa Paredes) is successful, but unlucky in her
[More]
#133
(2024)
86%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A rock band has to record their third LP, the one that will make them either rise to stardom or
[More]
#134
(1959)
86%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In a seedy, plague-ridden corner of turn-of-the-century Mexico, a pious priest, Nazarín, takes in mentally ill Beatriz and her prostitute
[More]
#135
(2004)
86%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A 54-year-old Argentinean man is imprisoned for killing his brothers. Once he is released, he travels great distances in a
[More]
#136
(1973)
84%
Critics Consensus: A visual treat rich in symbolism, The Holy Mountain adds another defiantly idiosyncratic chapter to Jodorowsky’s thoroughly unique filmography.
Synopsis: A Mexican master (Alexandro Jodorowsky) leads a Christ figure (Horacio Salinas) and other disciples to a mountain of immortal wise
[More]
#137
(2011)
83%
Critics Consensus: Filled with wild splatter slapstick, Juan of the Dead also deftly uses its zombie premise as an undead Trojan horse for insightful political commentary.
Synopsis: When the dead rise and attack the living, Juan starts a zombie-killing business, until he has to save his small
[More]
#138
(1996)
83%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A Spanish film student (Ana Torrent) finds a videotape showing the torture and murder of a missing coed.
[More]
#139
(2012)
82%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Raul dreams of escaping to Miami. When he is accused of assault, he convinces his friend Elio to help him
[More]
#140
(1998)
82%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: As young children, Otto (Fele Martínez) and Ana (Najwa Nimri) become best friends, leading to the marriage of Ana’s mother,
[More]
#141
(2023)
81%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Luis, an Indigenous 18-year-old, enters the Heroic Military College in hopes of ensuring a better future. There, he encounters a
[More]
#142
(2024)
81%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: David, a young middle-class Jewish man–corpulent, homosexual and afraid of flying–returns to Buenos Aires from Europe for the funeral of
[More]
#143
(2017)
80%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Incarcerated in the Dominican Republic, an inmate uses sign language to communicate with his imprisoned girlfriend at an adjacent institution.
[More]
#144
(1993)
80%
Critics Consensus: Strawberry and Chocolate movingly depicts the budding relationship between two men against the backdrop of a pivotal moment in Cuban history.
Synopsis: In 1979 Cuba, flamboyant gay artist Diego (Jorge Perugorría) attempts to seduce the straight and strait-laced David (Vladimir Cruz), an
[More]
#145
(2002)
79%
Critics Consensus: A slow-moving, visually impressive debut.
Synopsis: A young painter (Alejandro Ferretis), beleaguered by life, sets off in search of a place to kill himself. When he
[More]
#146
(2017)
78%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The life of a young woman is followed from conception through the years when she strikes out on her own
[More]
#147
(2000)
77%
Critics Consensus: Burnt Money tells a stylish and steamy story about criminals on the lam.
Synopsis: Set in Argentina in 1965, the story follows the tumultuous relationship between two men who became lovers and ultimately ruthless
[More]
#148
(2017)
77%
Critics Consensus: A truly original hybrid that blurs the line between fiction and reality, Cocote may prove opaque for those seeking simple storytelling, yet this insider’s look at the Dominican Republic ultimately rewards.
Synopsis: Alberto, a kind-hearted gardener, returns home to the Dominican Republic to attend his father’s funeral. When he discovers that a
[More]
#149
(2024)
74%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A group of young people inadvertently resurrects a seemingly invisible evil.
[More]
#150
(2019)
70%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A bus driver, his helper, a priest, and two policemen fall victim to a mysterious spell and end up lost
[More]
#151
(2020)
62%
Critics Consensus: Bad Hair‘s unwieldy ambitions are easy to respect — even if the film’s tonal jumble and uneven execution are impossible to ignore.
Synopsis: Terror strikes when a woman’s new hair weave seems to take on a life of its own.
[More]
#152
(2024)
60%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The dragons of ancient China are on the brink of extinction; their only hope is a brave young girl on
[More]
#153
(1992)
60%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An act of cowardice influences the lives of two Basque families over three generations.
[More]
#154
(2015)
57%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Capt. Buren and his squad of young officers work to bring down violent gangs.
[More]
#155
(2015)
17%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A Texas Ranger puts her life in jeopardy when she tries to prove a powerful family’s involvement in a young
[More]
#156
(1959)
40%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Merlin the magician helps Santa (José Elías Moreno) save children tempted by the devil to be naughty.
[More]
#157
(2024)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After a plane crash, four indigenous children fight to survive in the Colombian Amazon relying on ancestral wisdom as a
[More]
#158
(1968)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In a boarding school, the dammed soul of an old student possesses a young woman’s body.
[More]
#159
(2020)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A supernatural thriller from the creators of Netflix’s The Kirlian Frequency. It’s ’60 minutes to Midnight’s’ last broadcast, the most
[More]
#160
(2013)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Dulce encounters apparitions in her house and unleashes a terrible prophecy. Thirty years later, Dulce, now an old woman, returns
[More]
#161
(1975)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#162
(1960)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A housekeeper involved in the black arts, Sara (Isabela Corona), shows her goddaughter, Elena (Dina de Marco), her grisly fate
[More]
#163
(2025)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#164
(2024)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Marga (Emma Suárez), a successful architect, returns home after spending two months in a rehabilitation center due to an addiction
[More]
#165
(2025)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Blending offbeat, deadpan humor with heartfelt emotion, this uplifting dramedy is a story about leaving one’s comfort zone and embracing
[More]
#166
(2024)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#167
(2022)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The formation and development of the Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte.
[More]
#168
(2025)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Madrid, 1988. Elena has to come to terms with the recent death of her grandmother as she prepares for her
[More]
#169
(2024)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Ingrid is an untraceable killer whose power comes from another world, slowly making her less human. When smuggler Melville hires
[More]
#170
(1965)
– –
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
