If you’re learning Spanish, one of the best ways to study – from improving your listening and comprehension, to working on your accent – is to watch Spanish movies (or TV shows, documentaries, you name it!) on platforms like Netflix.
It’s effective, fun and, luckily for those of us lying low this July, qualifies as a chilled, stress-free activity.
But it can be hard to know what to watch – and where to watch it.
While there’s tons of great Spanish language content out there, if your Netflix account largely displays English entertainment, the best Spanish movies and shows may not even pop up (thanks, algorithm).
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the top 11 movies in Spanish on Netflix right now.
Now, all you need to do is type the title into the search bar. Easy peasy, limón squeezy.
Improve your Spanish during isolation with these 10 Spanish movies on Netflix
These are excellent movies for Spanish language learners, but they’re also just plain fantastic films, regardless of whether or not you’re brushing up your español.
With genres ranging from horror to comedy to romance and beyond, get ready to turn on your subtitles and watch some incredible Spanish movies on Netflix*.
*We’ve noted in our descriptions where these films were produced, since, just as you’ll hear different French accents in the French films or French series you’ll find on Netflix, there are different varieties of Spanish. There’s a big difference, for example, between the Spanish spoken in Latin America and Spain.
All of these films are available at present on US Netflix.
1. El Ciudadano Ilustre (The Distinguished Citizen) – 2016
Tomatometer: 100%
Genre: Comedy
Director: Mariano Cohn & Gastón Duprat
Country of origin: Argentina/Spain
A much-loved deadpan comedy about a Nobel Prize-winning Argentinian author, who has been living in Spain, returning to his hometown. A fun film, plus an excellent way for Spanish language learners to get a sense of the difference between South American and European Spanish culture.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
2. Veronica – 2017
Tomatometer: 90%
Genre: Horror
Director: Paco Plaza
Country of origin: Spain
A young girl and her friends try out an Ouija board (also known as a spirit board, or talking board) during a solar eclipse – and paranormal terror ensues. Based on a tragic true story, this is a horror movie that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
3. El hoyo (The Platform) – 2019
Tomatometer: 79%
Genre: Mystery And Thriller, Sci-Fi
Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Country of origin: Spain
El Hoyo is a slick 94-minute film about humans being kept in a tower-like structure where food is distributed first to the people at the top, then in leftovers, decreasing down to the bottom floor. It made a splash when it hit Netflix in 2020 for its social commentary, hints of humour, and grindhouse-like gore. If you’re a horror fan with a social conscience, The Platform is a crowd-pleaser that will make for a satisfying evening.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
4. Quién te cantará – 2018
Tomatometer: 85%
Genre: Drama
Director: Carlos Vermut
Country of origin: Spain
A fading pop star learns how to perform again from a superfan who impersonates her in this expectation-defying melodrama. What seems like it might be a sleepy, heartwarming film finds itself instead in thriller territory, bolstered by two excellent performances from the film’s lead actresses, and especially from Eva Llorach as the fan, Violeta.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
5. Eye for an Eye – 2019
Tomatometer: 89%
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Director: Paco Plaza
Country of origin: Spain
After being diagnosed with a terminal disease, a cartel boss is released from prison. But little does he know, he’s being cared for by a vengeful nurse whose life was changed forever by the drug lord’s actions. A dark and suspenseful thriller.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
6. Tiempo Compartido (Time Share) – 2018
Tomatometer: 86%
Genre: Drama, Dark Comedy
Director: Sebastián Hofmann
Country of origin: Mexico
Tiempo Compartido is a sharp, funny, fast-paced thriller about two families who are each separately duped into buying a timeshare in a tropical paradise – only to arrive and find it’s been double-booked and they must share their space. The two troubled family men find they have many things in common, and become convinced that the timeshares are part of a sinister plot they must thwart.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
7. También la lluvia (Even the Rain) – 2010
Tomatometer: 87%
Genre: Drama
Director: Icíar Bollaín
Country of origin: Spain, Mexico, Bolivia
Even the Rain is a critically acclaimed, award-winning film about a Mexican film director and Spanish film producer who travel to Bolivia to make a film about Christopher Columbus.
Though the film is fictional, it’s set in 2000, amongst real events. They find themselves in the middle of the Cochabamba Water War, protests about the privatisation and increasing costs of water in the city of Cochabamba.
It’s an interesting film, offering learners not just an array of Spanish accents, but a reflection on colonialism and the inter-country politics between Spanish speaking nations.
Besides, no list of great Spanish films would be complete without an appearance from Gael García Bernal.
8. Roma – 2018
Tomatometer: 96%
Genre: Drama
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Country of origin: Mexico
Also available on Netflix in the UK
One of the two films for which Alfonso Cuarón won the Best Director Oscar, Roma is a semi-autobiographical film for Cuarón. It centres around Cleo, a live-in maid working for a middle class family, and her life in Mexico City in the early 1970s. The emotional film won a vast number of accolades. Its previously unknown star, Yalitza Aparicio, was named one of TIME’s most influential people of 2019.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
9. El Bar (The Bar) – 2017
Tomatometer: 86%
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Director: Álex de la Iglesia
Country of origin: Spain
A dark comedy thriller set at a café in Madrid, this ensemble film follows a group of people trapped in a bar, as bodies pile up in what they begin to believe is a government cover-up. And, bonus, there’s an unknown contagious disease and a rush for a vaccine, so it also happens to be just a teensy bit relevant. If that’s the sort of thing you’re looking for.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
10. I’m No Longer Here – 2019
Tomatometer: 98%
Genre: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts
Director: Fernando Frias
Country of origin: Mexico
After a misunderstanding, a 17 year old cumbia fan has to flee across the US-Mexico border to save his own life. A visually grabbing meditation on assimilation and identity.
Also available on Netflix in the UK
And there you have it! These 10 Spanish movies on Netflix should keep you entertained through several cozy nights in, whether you’re stuck with another lockdown or just staying in because.
And remember: these are really just a small representation of the amazing filmmaking in the Spanish speaking world. And that’s not including the mounting number of binge-worthy Spanish Netflix series available right now.
No matter what your taste in movies or TV, from zany antics to weepy dramas to gory sci-fi, there’s something out there for any Spanish learner.
So what are you waiting for?
Get watching already!
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