17 Best Spanish Movies on Amazon Prime (December 2018)

1. Cartas a Elena (2012)

Sweet and sentimental story set in Chihuahua’s beautiful Copper Canyon. Young Emilio and his adoptive father deliver mail as well as read and write letters for the illiterate villagers. Emilio feels saddened by the difficult news sent by relatives working north of the border and begins inventing happy letters for his customers.

Accent: Mexican

2. Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries) (2004)

Charming biopic that follows revolutionary icon Che Guevara on a South American motorcycle road trip he took in his youth that showed him his life’s calling. The closing credits feature the Oscar-winning song “Al Otro Lado del Río” by Uruguayan musician Jorge Drexler.

Accents: Argentinian, Chilean, Peruvian, Colombian, Venezuelan; Mexican actor Gael García Bernal adopted an Argentine accent in order to play Che.

3. América (2011)

When her abusive boyfriend takes away her daughter, América escapes from her idyllic Caribbean village in Puerto Rico to a new life in New York City. She works long hours as a nanny to raise money so that her daughter can make the journey and join her, but soon her troubled past hunts her down.

Accents: Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican, Colombian

4. Camila (1984)

This beautiful and tragic older film based on a true story received a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination.

In 1840s Buenos Aires, Argentina, a beautiful young socialite named Camila falls in love with Ladislao, a Jesuit priest. After several failed attempts at fighting his own feelings, Camila and the priest embark on an ill-fated torrid affair. The ending is haunting.

The film’s themes of political oppression and censorship resonated with Argentinian audiences, since the country’s brutal right-wing dictatorship had only ended a year before its release.

Accent: Argentinian

5. Sólo Química (2016)

Fun and light rom-com from Spain. Nineteen year old Oli falls for her TV idol and embarks on a Cinderella-like romance filled with luxury, fame, success and money. It seems she has found her fairy tale ending, until she learns good chemistry and true love are not one and the same.

Accent: European Spanish

6. El Violín (2005)

Haunting, beautifully filmed drama about the struggle between the peasants and military in 1970s-era Mexico. Warning: begins with a few minutes of graphic scenes of violence. However, the moving story of heroic defiance that follows makes up for these short scenes.

Accent: Mexican

7. El Abrazo de la Serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent) (2016)

Through parallel story threads set 30 years apart, this absorbing odyssey follows two Western scientists who travel deep into the Amazon jungle looking for a rare plant that possesses healing powers, with an enigmatic shaman as their guide.

Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2016.

Incredibly, the film includes dialogue in nine languages: Cubeo, Huitoto, Ticuna, Wanano, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Catalan, and English, so it might not be the best choice if your only objective is to improve your Spanish. This hypnotic film is highly recommended though for those interested in Amazonian cultures.

Accents: Colombian, European Spanish

8. El Baño del Papa (The Pope’s Toilet) (2007)

This award-winning comedy portrays the story of John Paul II’s visit to a small Uruguayan town in 1988. 50,000 people are expected and the locals believe selling food and local wares will make them rich, but petty smuggler Beto has a better idea — to build a toilet.

Accent: Uruguayan

9. Chavela (2017)

Powerful and poignant portrait of beloved singer Chavela Vargas, whose passionate renditions of popular ranchera songs made her a beloved figure in Mexico, even as her androgynous appearance and unconventional life challenged norms of the day. After disappearing from the public eye for decades, Chavela makes a triumphant return to the stage, earning her a new level of fame late in life.

Accent: Mexican

10. El Dedo (2014)

After years of dictatorship, a remote village formally becomes a town with the birth of its 501st inhabitant, creating an opening for the position of mayor. Based on a true story, this whimsical comedy celebrates democracy while gently poking fun at village life.

Thanks to travel and pet writer Tina of 21 Pup Street for recommending this one!

Accent: Argentinian

11. Alamar (2009)

Beautiful but slow-moving docufilm about a boy about to move to Rome with his Italian mother who embarks on a final epic voyage to the gorgeous Mexican coast with his native father. Note: Not a lot of dialogue to practice your Spanish; more of a poetic meditation on the simple rhythms of life of these Mexican fishermen.

Accent: Mexican

12. Sueño en Otro Idioma (I Dream in Another Language) (2017)

Haunting and poetic film about the last two speakers of an indigenous language, who had a quarrel in the past and haven’t spoken to each other in over 50 years. Martín, a young linguist, undertakes the challenge of bringing the old friends back together and convincing them to speak once again to save the language from extinction.

Winner of the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award.

Accent: Mexican. Some dialogue in Zikril, a fictional indigenous language created for the film.

13. La Buena Vida (2015)

Beautiful, tragic documentary set in the village of Tamaquito, deep in the forests of Colombia. Here, nature provides the people with everything they need. But the Wayúu community’s way of life is being destroyed by the vast and rapidly growing El Cerrejón coal mine. Determined to save his community from forced resettlement, leader Jairo Fuentes negotiates with the mine’s operators in what soon becomes a fight for survival.

Accent: Colombian. Some dialogue in the Wayúu language.

14. How to be a Latin Lover (2017)

Cute comedy featuring the hilarious Eugenio Derbez that also has its touching moments. Dialogue is a mix of both Spanish and English.

Accent: Mexican

15. Finding Gaston (2015)

Mouthwatering documentary that follows Gaston Acurio, the revolutionary Peruvian chef who made his country’s cuisine world-famous.

Accent: Peruvian. Some dialogue in Quechua, an Andean indigenous language.

16. Narco Cultura (2012)

This gripping documentary contrasts the harrowing reality of bloodstained Juárez, Mexico with the unsettling glorification of murderous drug traffickers in popular narcocorrido ballads. Most interviews are in Spanish.

Accent: Mexican

17. Desastres Naturales (2015)

Whimsical story of Raquel, a teacher who refuses to accept the idea of retiring and arrives at her classroom to discover she has been replaced with a much younger teacher. Raquel rejects this idea and proceeds with her lecture. The students occupy a classroom and rally behind their former teacher with a small revolt that threatens the establishment order.

Accent: Chilean