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Best Mexican Movies on Netflix

20 Best Mexican Movies on Netflix (2021)

Best Mexican Movies on Netflix

Mexican film is internationally celebrated and a great way to improve your Spanish.

I’ve sifted through a lot of mediocre films to recommend some of the best Mexican movies on Netflix streaming in the US as of November 15, 2021. Many may also be available in other countries. Watch them while you can, since content disappears as licensing agreements expire.

If you’re an intermediate or advanced learner, I recommend watching with Spanish subtitles as studies show it enhances language learning. I also jot down any interesting new vocabulary to add to my Anki flashcards later.

To amp up your Spanish learning, try Google Chrome browser’s free Language Learning with Netflix (LLN) extension. It allows you to watch subtitles in two languages, listen to dialogue one line at a time, and change playback speed. There’s also a pop-up dictionary, and LLN suggests the most important words for you to learn.

Also don’t miss my general list of Spanish-language movies on Netflix!

1. I’m No Longer Here (Ya no estoy aquí)

I'm No Longer Here | Official Trailer | Netflix

Gorgeous, touching tale of a teen immigrant from Monterrey, Mexico.

In 2011, 17-year-old Ulises leads a gang called Los Terkos dedicated to the Kolombia or Cholombiano subculture. This lifestyle consists of dancing and listening to cumbia rebajada, a slowed-down version of Colombian cumbia. Los Terkos dress in bright, baggy clothes and sport homemade, eccentric hairdos.

After a misunderstanding with a local cartel, Ulises flees to the immigrant community of Jackson Heights, Queens to save his life.

This absorbing story is told in flashbacks. The nonprofessional actors bring great authenticity to the dialogue as well as the dance scenes.

Stick around for the end of the credits for behind-the-scenes footage of the young actors.

Some slang you’ll hear:

  • sobres – Northern Mexican slang for “OK” or “Right on!”
  • al chile – Mexican slang for “for real” or “seriously”
  • morro(a) – Northern Mexican slang for “kid” or “dude.” Está morro means someone is young.

2. Güeros

GÜEROS (Trailer)

Nostalgic, retro-style film that follows three rootless young people cruising the streets of Mexico City during the student strikes of 1999 in a search for their childhood idol an enigmatic folk singer rumored to be on his death bed.

3. Roma

Roma Trailer #1 (2018) | Movieclips Indie

This Oscar-winning Netflix epic directed by Alfonso Cuarón delivers a vivid, emotional portrait of domestic life and social hierarchy set against Mexico’s political turmoil of the 1970s.

If you loved Roma, you can also watch the making-of documentary.

4. Lorena, la de pies ligeros (Lorena, Light-Footed Woman)

Lorena, la de pies ligeros | Tráiler oficial

No English subtitles available for YouTube trailer. Click to watch trailer on Netflix.

This beautiful 28-minute documentary short tells the incredible story of Mexican runner Lorena Ramírez, who wins international ultramarathons in traditional dress and sandals.

Lorena lives a pastoral life in the mountains of Chihuahua as part of the indigenous Rarámuri community, also known as the Tarahumara. The Rarámuri are famed for their extraordinary long-distance running skills. The very word rarámuri means “light-footed.”

Some dialogue in Rarámuri.

Also check out: Best Mexican Comedians on Netflix

5. Hasta los dientes (Armed to the Teeth)

HASTA LOS DIENTES | Trailer

This critically acclaimed documentary follows the controversy surrounding the 2010 murders of two innocent students in Monterrey who were framed as criminals and killed by the Mexican military.

6. Una historia de dos cocinas (A Tale of Two Kitchens)

A Tale of Two Kitchens | Official Trailer | Netflix

This feel-good half-hour film takes an inspiring look at two celebrated sister restaurants on different sides of the US-Mexico border.

Set in both Mexico City and San Francisco, the documentary short explores the ways in which a restaurant can serve as a place of dignity and close-knit community.

7. Nadie sabrá nunca (No One Will Ever Know)

NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW TRAILER MASTER

A mother and young son escape into a magical world of their imagination listening to radio plays and watching movies to transform the drudgery of their lives in rural Mexico.

8. Las tres muertes de Marisela Escobedo (The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo)

Las tres muertes de Marisela Escobedo | Tráiler oficial | Netflix

No English subtitles available for YouTube trailer. Click to watch trailer on Netflix.

This moving documentary examines a mother’s tireless crusade to jail her daughter’s murderer after Mexico’s justice system failed to do so.

9. Mexicanos de Bronce

MEXICANOS DE BRONCE - Trailer [Documental]

This gritty, absorbing documentary follows three prisoners who try to overcome feelings of despair and make sense of their lives behind bars — and on the outside — through rap.

10. La Dictadura Perfecta

LA DICTADURA PERFECTA - NUEVO TRAILER #LACAJACHINA

Hilarious Mexican box-office smash by the director of Infierno about political corruption and media collusion with the government. The themes of this satire are universal, however. A long film but not a dull moment.

Also read: Learn Mexican Spanish using Facebook

11. 07:19 La Hora del Temblor

7:19 AM Trailer

Gritty, claustrophobic survival thriller. After a devastating earthquake hits Mexico City, trapped survivors from all walks of life wait to be rescued while trying desperately to stay alive.

The film’s title reflects the exact time when the devastating Sept. 19, 1985, Mexico City earthquake began.

12. El Club de los Insomnes

El Club de Los Insomnes | Tráiler oficial | Con Cassandra Ciangherotti

Original rom-com about an insomniac, an aspiring photographer, and a pregnant veterinarian who form a unique friendship during late-night meetings at a 24-hour mini-mart.

13. Ayotzinapa, el Paso de la Tortuga

Trailer Documental Ayotzinapa, el paso de la tortuga. trailer

A documentary about 43 Mexican students forcibly disappeared after being violently detained by police, and the unsatisfactory slow investigation that followed both at state and federal levels.

Oscar-winning Mexican director Guillermo del Toro co-produced the film to ensure these voices are heard.

14. Bellas de Noche

BEAUTIES OF THE NIGHT Trailer | Festival 2016

Poignant portrait of the vedettes, former queens of the racy Mexican burlesque scene. A compassionate examination of what the aging process means for women in a profession in which success is predicated on youthful beauty and erotic appeal.

15. Semana Santa

Film Trailer: Semana Santa

A single mother, her boyfriend and her young son take a weeklong resort vacation, during which relationship strains take their toll.

A keenly observed film with subtle depth that examines dysfunctional family secrets against the backdrop of a decaying Acapulco.

Also read: Learning Spanish in Merida, Mexico

16. Ahí te encargo (You’ve Got This)

Ahí te encargo | Tráiler oficial | Netflix

Charming if familiar rom-com about an ad creative and a successful exec with a great marriage — until he wants to be a dad just as her career takes off.

17. Tiempo Compartido (Time Share)

Time Share (Tiempo compartido) - Sebastian Hofmann Film Trailer (2018)

In this edgy dark comedy, two paranoid men join forces to rescue their families from a tropical paradise, after becoming convinced that an American timeshare conglomerate has a sinister plan to take their loved ones away.

18. Todas las pecas del mundo (All the Freckles in the World)

Todas las pecas del mundo - Tráiler

No English subtitles available for YouTube trailer. Click to watch trailer on Netflix.

Cute if predictable coming-of-age comedy set in Mexico City.

Thirteen-year-old José Miguel is immune to 1994 World Cup fever until he realizes soccer is the only way to win the heart of his crush.

19. Un abrazo de tres minutos (A 3 Minute Hug)

A 3 Minute Hug | Trailer | Netflix

This powerful 28-minute documentary captures the joy and heartbreak of families separated by the US-Mexico border sharing a short, bittersweet reunion in 2018.

Executive-produced by Gael Garcia Bernal.

20. Como caído del cielo

Como Caído Del Cielo | Tráiler oficial | Netflix

No English subtitles available for YouTube trailer. Click to watch trailer on Netflix.

Light-hearted Mexican comedy. To earn his place in heaven, legendary Mexican movie star Pedro Infante is sent back to Earth in an impersonator’s body to mend his womanizing ways.

You may also like:

  • Top Spanish Movies on Netflix
  • Best Spanish Movies on Amazon Prime Video
  • Best Books About Mexico by Expats
  • Great Spanish TV Series on Amazon Prime Video
  • Learn Spanish with Mexican Actress Kate del Castillo

Have more Netflix Mexican movie recommendations? Please share your suggestions for Mexican films in the comments.


Banner image from I’m No Longer Here (Ya no estoy aquí) © Netflix

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September 20, 2016 by Ingrid 13 Comments

About Ingrid

Ingrid left software engineering at age 43 to devote herself to language learning and travel. Her goal is to speak seven languages fluently. Currently, she speaks English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. April Ellis

    September 20, 2016 at 9:04 am

    Some of these sound intriguing even though I’m not trying to learn Spanish! 😉 Now I just need a Netflix account and more free time …

    Reply
    • Ingrid

      September 20, 2016 at 9:10 am

      One or two of these are also available on DVD, but yeah, mostly there’s very little overlap between the Netflix DVD and streaming catalogs. Which is why I pay for both subscriptions… grrr.

      Reply
  2. Rainier

    September 20, 2016 at 9:41 am

    Makes me wish even more I could speak Spanish 🙂

    Reply
    • Ingrid

      September 20, 2016 at 10:03 am

      I guess right now Vietnamese would make more sense, right? 🙂

      Reply
  3. Alex/Xander

    October 29, 2016 at 4:04 pm

    I’ll definitely check some of these out!

    Reply
  4. Alex

    December 12, 2017 at 1:05 am

    There is a movie I really enjoyed and I believe it should make it on the list.
    “El cumple de la abuela” gets 6 stars on IMDb and you should check it out, it’s worth it.
    I also enjoy the Mexican Spanish and culture, and even though it’s my third language (English is second, Romanian first), I’m very fluent and I also know the slang.

    Reply
    • Ingrid

      December 12, 2017 at 12:23 pm

      Hola Alex, muchas gracias por la sugerencia. I’ve added it to my queue to check out! Comedies like that can be awesome for learning colloquial Spanish. Thanks for stopping by, y suerte con tu aprendizaje!

      Reply
  5. Julio Penaranda

    April 25, 2019 at 1:07 pm

    I’d recommend 7:19

    Reply
    • Ingrid

      April 27, 2019 at 6:46 am

      Thanks for the recommendation, Julio!

      Reply
      • Marco

        January 1, 2020 at 6:40 am

        Ingrid I would recommend El Zurdo with Derbez

        Reply
        • Ingrid

          January 2, 2020 at 9:48 am

          Gracias, Marco! Unfortunately, looks like it’s not available on US Netflix, but hopefully viewers in other countries can check it out.

          Reply
  6. roberta B.

    May 23, 2019 at 8:19 pm

    what about the movies La Reina Del Sur,
    Senor De Los Cielos very popular, and quite a few with Kate de Castillo. All have more than one season. Great movies byTelemundo on
    Netflix.

    Reply
    • Ingrid

      May 24, 2019 at 6:25 pm

      Agree, those are great shows! Be sure to check out my list of Spanish TV on Netflix, where I include those and others: https://www.secondhalftravels.com/spanish-language-tv-shows-netflix.

      Reply

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