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With the Spanish and Latin American Film Festival wrapping up in Melbourne this week, our staff have been reflecting on some of their favourite Spanish-language films, and we’ve created this list to share, in case you didn’t get enough while the festival was in town!

We know just how frustrating it can be to be recommended a movie, and then not be able to find a way to watch it, so we’ve done some research on where you can find these movies, so you’re not left hanging! Our top tip, if you’re based in Melbourne, is to go old-school and visit Picture Search in Richmond, Melbourne’s last dedicated video rental shop. They have an impressive collection of over 40,000 titles, stocking most of the recommendations on this list.

Also, under the Libraries Victoria state-wide network, any Victorian resident can join and borrow items for free at almost any public library, so you don't need to be a resident of a council to borrow from its library - so we definitely recommend taking advantage of their Spanish-language film collections.

 

Isidro's pick - Amores Perros, 2000, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mexico

We’re aware this film has been recommended in one of our blog posts before, but for good reason: it’s just so good! 

 

Amores Perros is an innovative, confronting, and at times disorienting film that takes the audience on an absolute journey, following three interlinked stories that span the social classes in Mexico City. Despite its fragmented and non-linear narration style, the storylines are united through their similar themes of love, loss, and violence. The film has a visceral, documentary-like feel, an iconic soundtrack, and requires active viewer participation to piece together its narrative puzzle. 

 

Where to find it: 

• Picture Search – Rent the DVD

• Libraries: Port Phillip, Yarra, Glen Eira

 

Jess' pick - El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent), 2015, Ciro Guerra, Colombia

El abrazo de la Serpiente is a hypnotic, anthropological adventure, shot in a remote part of the Colombian jungle. The film was inspired by the journals of two real-life explorers, a German ethnologist and an American botanist, and creates a fictional interpretation of their travels in the north-west Amazon. The film offers a bold indictment of colonial imperialism and its effect on native peoples, and a powerful celebration of disappearing cultures. This film is the first, and only, Colombian feature to have been nominated for an Oscar.

 

Where to find it: 

• Picture Search – Rent the DVD

• Apple TV Store - Available to rent or buy

• Libraries: City of Melbourne, Port Phillip, Hobsons Bay, Stonnington, Maribyrnong

 

Patricio's pick - Machuca, 2004, Andrés Wood, Chile

Machuca is set in Santiago and told from the viewpoint of 12-year-old Gonzalo Infante, a member of Chile’s elite. The film follows Gonzalo’s friendship with Machuca, an Indigenous boy from a Santiago shantytown, after the two are brought together through an experimental school integration program. Set during the months leading up to the 1973 Chilean coup d’état, the film uses the boys’ relationship to explore the class divisions and political tensions that were reshaping Chilean society. As their friendship deepens, so too does the country's unrest, culminating in a powerful and deeply human portrait of a nation on the brink of irreversible change.

 

Where to find: 

• Picture Search – Rent the DVD

• Kanopy – a free streaming platform that’s accessible if you have a valid library card or university login.

• Libraries: Bayside

 

Phil's pick - ¿Qué he hecho para merecer esto? (What have I done to deserve this?) 1984, Pedro Almodóvar, España

¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? is a black comedy that follows the misadventures of Gloria, an overworked housewife whose dysfunctional family and circumstances push her toward a psychological breakdown. As she struggles to cope with an abusive husband, a drug-dealing son, and a disapproving mother-in-law, the film balances tragedy with sharp humour. Through its witty feminist perspective, the movie ridicules the rise of consumerism in post-dictatorship Spain, while offering a compelling character study of a woman trapped between tradition and modern life.

 

Where to find it: 

• Libraries: Port Phillip

 

Estella's pick - Kiki, el amor se hace (Kiki, Love to Love), 2016, Paco León, Spain

Kiki, el amor se hace is a Spanish sex comedy (and remake of the Australian comedy The Little Death) that follows five interconnected stories of love, relationships, and sexual discovery during a scorching summer in Madrid. As the characters explore their unique desires, they confront challenges, insecurities, and unconventional paths to happiness. Through humour, the film celebrates diversity in human relationships and the search for personal fulfilment. 

 

Where to find: 

• Picture Search – Rent the DVD

• Apple TV – Buy or rent

• Libraries: Port Phillip, Moonee Valley, Brimbank, Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay

 

Bonus recommendation! - La ciénaga (The Swamp), 2001, Lucrecia Martel, Argentina

If you’re interested in exploring the work of one of Latin America’s most influential female filmmakers, Lucrecia Martel’s La Ciénaga is an essential watch. Set during a sweltering summer in rural Argentina, the film offers a series of intimate glimpses into the lives of an extended family gathered in a crumbling estate. There is no central protagonist, nor a conventional plot line; instead, the film captures the rhythms, tensions, and stagnation of everyday life. It is through Martel’s intimate handheld camerawork and her decision to focus on ambient sounds, rather than music or a conventional score, that an atmosphere is created that feels both hauntingly realistic and quietly intrusive.

 

Where to find: 

• Mubi – Stream 

• Apple TV – Buy or Rent

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