Spanish cinema
Some classics, some not so well known abroad, but great movies anyway. Some by Spanish directors made abroad, some by foreign directors made in Spain... I love horror, so I'm inclined to include lots of those.
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- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsPierre BatcheffSimone MareuilLuis BuñuelLuis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.Buñuel/Dalí collaboration classic.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsAlfonso MejíaRoberto CoboEstela IndaA group of juvenile delinquents live a violent and crime-filled life in the festering slums of Mexico City, as the morals of young Pedro are gradually corrupted and destroyed by the others.Shot in Mexico by an exiled Buñuel.
- DirectorLuis García BerlangaStarsCassenJosé Luis López VázquezElvira QuintilláIn a small Spanish town, a group of old ladies decides to celebrate Christmas Eve with a "seat a poor man at your table" dinner: each wealthy household of the town will have a homeless person dining with them that night. The celebrations also include a parade, and in its midst is Plácido, the humble owner of a three-wheeler, whose family is forced to live in a public lavatory because they lack the money to pay rent, and who must pay the second bill on his vehicle before midnight or else he will lose it.Veiled criticism of Franco's regime, with lots of humour.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsSilvia PinalJacqueline AndereEnrique RambalThe guests at an upper-class dinner party find themselves unable to leave.Weird moral tale about the pointlessness of the upper class
- DirectorLuis García BerlangaStarsNino ManfrediEmma PenellaJosé IsbertAn undertaker marries an old executioner's daughter and must continue his father-in-law's profession after his retirement, although he doesn't like it.Berlanga's masterpiece; very dark humourous tale of a man who becomes an executioner to become the owner of a flat and marry his girlfriend.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsClaudio BrookSilvia PinalEnrique Álvarez FélixSimon, a deeply religious man living in the 4th century, wants to be nearer to God so he climbs a column. The Devil wants him to come down to Earth and is trying to seduce him.Hilarious acount of Saint Simon's days up a pillar.
- DirectorNarciso Ibáñez SerradorStarsLilli PalmerCristina GalbóJohn Moulder-BrownA strict headmistress runs a secluded school for wayward girls in 19th century France, whose students are disappearing under mysterious circumstances.Filmed with British actors. Try to watch the uncensored version with the scene in the showers. Gothic horror.
- DirectorBruno BozzettoStarsMaurizio NichettiPardo KickhoeffelOsvaldo SalviAn amateur photographer watches a beautiful woman emerge from a beach hut and disappear into the sea.A masterpiece of claustrophobic horror.
- DirectorClaudio GuerínJuan Antonio BardemStarsRenaud VerleyViveca LindforsAlfredo MayoAfter being falsely accused of being insane and put in a asylum so his wicked aunt and her daughters could steal his money, a recently released young man returns to seek the ultimate revenge against them.The director and the location are Spanish, but not the actors. As it happened with many Spanish films at the time, this was actually shot in English. Guerín Hill fell to his death from the very tower bell of the film's climax, and this mysterious accident (did he fell or did he jump?) only adds to the overall eeriness of this rare piece.
- DirectorJorge GrauStarsCristina GalbóRay LovelockArthur KennedyA cop chases two hippies suspected of a series of Manson family-like murders; unbeknownst to him, the real culprits are the living dead, brought to life with a hunger for human flesh by ultrasonic radiation being used for pest control.Shot in the actual Manchester morgue by Spanish horror veteran Grau. It's actually quite good for a Romero's rip off.
- DirectorNarciso Ibáñez SerradorStarsLewis FianderPrunella RansomeAntonio IranzoA couple of English tourists arrive on an island where all the children have gone crazy and are murdering the adults.Great athmospheric suspense/horror tale set on an island in the South of Spain. There are some impressive gory scenes.
- DirectorLuis García BerlangaStarsRafael AlonsoLuis EscobarAntonio FerrandisJaume Canivell, Catalan manufacturer of mechanical porters, accompanies his lover on a hunt to relate to important people. The farm where it is organized is full of strange characters.Hilarious, but might be difficult for a non Spaniard to undestand fully for all its cultural references. Worth a watch none the same.
- DirectorIván ZuluetaStarsEusebio PoncelaCecilia RothWill MoreA low budget horror filmmaker gets in touch with an eccentric who is trying to film his consciousness during drug abuse.Oh, this one's weird. Very weird.
- DirectorPaul NaschyStarsPaul NaschyJulia SalyLola GaosA man moves his ailing wife to his family's ancestral house for a period of recovery. Things are not what they seem to be, when the wife becomes plagued with terrifying visions, which begin to worsen her ailment.Sexploitation by Spanish "wolf-man", Paul Naschy. The killer is a ghost in full armor. Kitsch!
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsCristina Sánchez PascualWill MoreLaura CepedaA nightclub singer seeks refuge with gay nuns on dope in a Madrid convent.Hilarious insight of the lives of the nuns in a convent.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsCarmen MauraGonzalo SuárezLuis HostalotThe vicissitudes of Gloria, a neurotic housewife, and her family's peculiar characters.One of Carmen Maura's fines performances as a tormented housewife.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsAssumpta SernaAntonio BanderasNacho MartínezA matador is wounded by a bull and can no longer kill in the arena. It is just one of the problems of one of the characters that unexpectedly collide in this film.Sexy and quite very kinky...
- DirectorAgustí VillarongaStarsGünter MeisnerDavid SustMarisa ParedesA former Nazi child-killer is confined in an iron lung inside an old mansion after a suicide attempt. His wife hires him a full-time carer, a mysterious young man who is driven slowly mad by the old man's disturbing past.Brutal, even by today's standards. Not for the squeamish.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsEusebio PoncelaCarmen MauraAntonio BanderasA gay filmmaker becomes involved with an obsessive fan while still pining for his absent true love. Meanwhile, he shares a close but complex relationship with his trans sister, an actress.Sexy, but also very funny. Unforgettable scene with Antonio Banderas and Eusebio Poncela in bed. Yum.
- DirectorBigas LunaStarsZelda RubinsteinMichael LernerTalia PaulA controlling mother uses telepathic powers to send her middle-aged son on a killing spree.A film within a film within a film...
- DirectorJosé Luis CuerdaStarsAlfredo LandaAlejandra GrepiTito ValverdeIn the fantastic world of the "bosque animado" meet some people who have been transported to this place by a magic force. Now their histories cross one another.Rural life in Galicia, post Civil War.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsCarmen MauraAntonio BanderasJulieta SerranoA television actress encounters a variety of eccentric characters after embarking on a journey to discover why her lover abruptly left her.Oh, those sassy dialogues!
- DirectorJosé Luis CuerdaStarsJosé SazatornilCarmen de LirioFrancisco MartínezA village and the crazy situations encountered by its citizens.Theatre of the absurd.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsVictoria AbrilMarisa ParedesMiguel BoséA singer returns after 15 years abroad to perform in Madrid and finds her 27 y.o. daughter married to one of her mom's ex-lovers.Almodóvar's first "serious" film. But this is Almodóvar, how "serious" can it be?...
- DirectorJulio MedemStarsEmma SuárezCarmelo GómezAna TorrentSet in the Basque region, a story of the rivalry of two families, period 1870-1935Medem's first movie, with muse Emma Suárez.
- DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsAntonio ResinesÁlex AnguloFrédérique FederIn a future ruled by attractive people, mutant terrorists kidnap a rich man's daughter to claim rights for the ugly. Escaping police, the mutant leader crashes into a planet of crazy miners where no women live.Silly 15-year-old humour sci-fi movie.
- DirectorJulio MedemStarsEmma SuárezNancho NovoMaría BarrancoA suicidal, has-been rock star tells an amnesiac woman they are longtime lovers after he witnesses her crash her motorcycle.Lisa loses her memory in an accident, and a mysterious man claims she's his girlfriend. So they go camping.
- DirectorImanol UribeStarsCarmelo GómezRuth GabrielJavier BardemA member of the ETA terrorist organization belongs to a commando which is preparing an outrage in Madrid. But he sets other priorities when he meets a girl who is addicted to drugs and for whom he feels a strong attraction.Sordid prostitution/drugs/terrorism yarn. Don't watch if you're depresed.
- DirectorEmilio Martínez LázaroStarsGabino DiegoAriadna GilJorge SanzAlberto lives with his parents and his brother Roberto, quite attractive, who tells him there are lots of girls. Alberto is a romantic guy, and doesn't find a girl for his own. He knew he was in love as soon as he saw Maria, although he was not very sure of what she thought. His brother told him he would help with her, but things get difficult when Roberto also likes Maria.Laugh-out-loud story of two brothers in love with the same girl. The protagonist, Gabino Diego, later became a popular comedian.
- DirectorÁlvaro Fernández ArmeroStarsPenélope CruzCoque MallaJordi MollàPablo hates everything. When Lucia comes into his life, he thinks she's the woman he dreams of, and sees the solution to all his problems. But Lucia, who is rather manipulating, is just what will make Pablo explode. Nobody believes in the ideal couple, not even Pablo's friends, who live all in couples, and all with problems: Between Ariel and Lola there is a professional rivalty they don't know how to cope with; Claudio lives on Natalia, and none of them feels good about it; what's wrong with Alejandro and Beatriz is just the big age difference between them two. Nobody is happy with his partenaire, but everyone will let it be, maybe for conformism, maybe for fear, maybe for lazyness, or maybe because Everything is false.Love/comedy with a young Penélope Cruz and rock diva Christina Rosenvinge.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsMarisa ParedesJuan EchanoveCarme EliasLeo writes trashy romance novels under a pseudonym but as she struggles in her relationship with her husband, she finds her output becoming darker.One of Almodóvar's best, about a heartbroken writer with the funniest mum and big sis ever!
- DirectorIcíar BollaínStarsSilkeCandela PeñaÁlex AnguloNina is a 20-year-old girl from Valladolid who lives with her divorced father, a conservative authoritarian. Trini is the same age and has lost her mother. Their families and hometown have nothing to offer, so they go on a risky voyage to the Costa del Sol in southern Spain and stop in Madrid to search for work and independence.For every 17-year-old girl who's run away following her dreams.
- DirectorAgustín Díaz YanesStarsVictoria AbrilPilar BardemFederico LuppiEscaping gangsters trying to kill her because of being witness to a crime, Gloria (Victoria Abril), a young woman of lower class, comes back to Madrid, Spain and to her family. There she tries to find work and earn some money...Mafia and a great robbery.
- DirectorJavier FesserStarsRamón LangaPablo PinedoPietro OliveraOn the run from the police in a desperate attempt to escape a pair of Civil Guardians, a peaceful gas-station worker embarks on a frenzied road adventure.Very funny comedy about a mysterious trumpet... or not.
- DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsÁlex AnguloArmando De RazzaSantiago SeguraBent on committing as many sins as possible to avert the birth of the beast, a Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult. Now, he must become an unrelenting sinner. Is there still hope?A naive priest teams up with a metal head and a hoax fortune teller when they learn Satan's son will be born in Madrid on Christmas Day. So they take extasy.
- DirectorAlfonso AlbaceteMiguel BardemDavid MenkesStarsNancho NovoCayetana Guillén CuervoIngrid RubioNot Love Just Frenzy is a fast, funny adventure through the wild Euroclub scene in the style of the scandalous Pedro Almodovar. A group of hot, horny twentysomething friends looking for love at Madrid's hottest disco get tangled up in a maze of wild sex, drugs, and gunfights as they encounter flashy drag queens, self-absorbed gigolos, and a host of other outrageous characters. Accompanied by a dynamite soundtrack and starring many of Spain's top young actors, including appearances by Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky), Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls), and Bibi Andersen (Kika) as a high-class lesbian pimp, "Not Love Just Frenzy" is too hip to miss.Camp fun
- DirectorJulio MedemStarsCarmelo GómezEmma SuárezKarra ElejaldeAngel, an exterminator recently released from a mental hospital, comes to rid a small Spanish town of tiny grubs in the soil. The local wine-making industry has found these pests responsible for giving their product an "earthy" taste that has divided local opinion. While in town, Angel becomes involved with two beautiful and very different women, and impacts their lives on a grand scale. Can either of these women accept the fact that Angel travels with a "ghost" of himself, or that he routinely speaks with the deceased townspeople?
- DirectorMónica LagunaStarsNancho NovoPedro AlonsoSilke
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsAna TorrentFele MartínezEduardo NoriegaWhile doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty...
- DirectorRicardo FrancoStarsAntonio ResinesMaribel VerdúJordi MollàRafael witnesses Marina, a woman with a glass eye, being attacked on the street by Daniel, whom she has known since childhood they both spent in the orphanage. Rafael rescues Marina from Daniel and takes her to his home, where a relationship develops between them. Marina is pregnant but Daniel doesn't want the child, so Rafael offers to be the father, being physically unable to sire his own. He and Marina stay together as a couple, then as a happy family. But once everything seems to be settled, Daniel--newly released from prison--shows up again.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsEduardo NoriegaPenélope CruzChete LeraA very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.
- DirectorJulio MedemStarsNajwa NimriFele MartínezNancho NovoIn Lapland's cold Arctic Circle, under the eternal midnight sun, unfavourable circumstances reunite two kindred spirits. And governed by circular motifs woven by faith and love, they must answer a pivotal question. Can they deny destiny?
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsCecilia RothMarisa ParedesCandela PeñaA comedy-drama about a bereaved mother, and overwrought actress, her jealous lover, and a pregnant nun.Almodóvar's "A Streetcar Named Desire" inspired masterpiece.
- DirectorJosé Luis CuerdaStarsManuel LozanoFernando Fernán GómezUxía BlancoBased in 1936 Spain, Moncho is an outcast at school but is able to form a strong bond with his outspoken teacher. When fascism arrives to Spain, his teacher is considered an enemy of the regime & arrested.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróStarsEmma VilarasauKarra ElejaldeTristán Ulloa5 years after a mom's 6 y.o. girl is murdered, she gets a phone call from someone claiming to be the daughter. An ex cop and a reporter help. A secret group called The Nameless may be behind it all.
- DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsCarmen MauraEduardo AntuñaMaría AsquerinoThe accidental discovery of a big fortune hidden in the apartment of a deceased man will fill the heart of a real estate agent with greed and dreams of a luxurious life, but the neighbours think otherwise.
- DirectorAntonio HensStarsIsrael RodríguezPablo PuyolAntonio ÁlamoThe sexual adventures of 16-year old Guillermo who's become somewhat of an expert at cruising the gay guys at his local shopping mall.
- DirectorAchero MañasStarsJuan José BallestaPablo GalánAlberto JiménezAlfredo is a kid who begins in a new new school where he makes a friend, Pablo. Alfredo realizes that Pablo is a victim of home abuse by his father, and decides to involve his own family in order to help his friend.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsMarisa ParedesEduardo NoriegaFederico LuppiAfter Carlos - a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War - arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets which he must uncover.
- DirectorJuan Carlos FresnadilloStarsMax von SydowEusebio PoncelaLeonardo SbaragliaIn a world where luck can be taken from a lucky person by a luckier person's touch, a small group of lucky people compete to be the luckiest and for the other contestants' luck.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsNicole KidmanChristopher EcclestonFionnula FlanaganIn 1945, immediately following the end of Second World War, a woman who lives with her two photosensitive children on her darkened old family estate in the Channel Islands becomes convinced that the home is haunted.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsRosario FloresJavier CámaraDarío GrandinettiTwo men share an odd friendship while they care for two women who are both in deep comas.
- DirectorAntonio HernándezStarsLeonardo SbaragliaFernando Fernán GómezGeraldine ChaplinVictor is a man who gets to Paris to join his family around their seriously ill father, Max. As the chance of selling the family business begins to disrupt the family relationships, Victor is desperately asked for help by Max. What seems in the beginning mere delusions of an old man losing his mind, begin to show traces of some sort of real 'secret' that is troubling Max's last days. Victor decide to help his father to find that something (maybe just peace) he is searching for.
- DirectorFernando León de AranoaStarsJavier BardemLuis TosarJosé Ángel EgidoThis is the story of those who live as if every day was a constant Sunday, those who spend their Mondays in the sun. The story of people who worked in a dockyard but are now unemployed.
- DirectorPablo BergerStarsJavier CámaraCandela PeñaJuan DiegoSet in 1973 Spain, a struggling encyclopedia salesman and his wife take advantage of an offer to make adult films. The act turns him into an aspring legit filmmaker and her into an international sex symbol.
- DirectorIcíar BollaínStarsLaia MarullLuis TosarCandela PeñaOne winter night, Pilar runs away from home. With her, she takes only a few belongings and her son, Juan. Antonio soon sets out to look for her. He says Pilar is his sunshine, and what's more, "She gave him her eyes"...
- DirectorMiguel AlbaladejoStarsJosé Luis García-PérezDavid CastilloEmpar FerrerPedro, a gay man with an active social life and many friends, takes in his nephew Bernardo for a couple weeks. When the arrangement becomes permanent , Pedro turns to his friends for guidance as he and Bernardo forge a household together.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsGael García BernalFele MartínezJavier CámaraAn examination on the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends.
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsJavier BardemBelén RuedaLola DueñasThe factual story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 28-year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
- DirectorJosé CorbachoJuan CruzStarsÁngel de Andrés LópezMaría GalianaElvira MínguezThe small, everyday stories of a group of neighbours who live in a suburb of Barcelona, and the little secrets that they hide.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsPenélope CruzCarmen MauraLola DueñasAfter her death, a mother returns to her home town in order to fix the situations she couldn't resolve during her life.
- DirectorPablo MaloStarsJosé Luis García-PérezPhilippine Leroy-BeaulieuManuel MorónThe winter of 1967 is coming to an end. Laura, a nine-year-old girl, is found drowned in a marsh near a boarding school in the Pyrenees. A month later, a mysterious stranger, Marco arrives in the city and moves into the attic of an isolated mountain house. Meanwhile, the director of the boarding school, Julia, witnesses strange behavior in Monica, the roommate of the murdered girl. Monica is simultaneously frightened by and yet drawn to the marsh. What is the mystery it holds? Perhaps the sightings of Laura in the days after her drowning are something otherworldly.
- DirectorIñaki DorronsoroStarsMiguel Ángel SilvestreJose CoronadoFederico LuppiA young and tormented boxer who lands in jail for a minor crime meets a frustrated homosexual policeman who convinces him to commit a murder behind bars in exchange for his freedom.
- DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsJavier GutiérrezLeonor WatlingSancho GraciaIn Spain, the sports journalist Juan has a perfect life with his wife Sonia: they have just had a baby and moved to an old house that needs to be repaired in a fancy neighborhood. When Juan's sister and her husband visit the couple, they give them an electronic nanny to monitor the baby's room. During the night, Juan and Sonia hear voices in the room but they do not find anybody. On the next day, Juan hires an alarm system for the house and a monitor to observe the baby's room. When Juan sees a man in the room, he gets a knife to protect his son. However, Sonia believes her husband is insane and moves to her mother's house. Juan investigates the happening with the former journalist Domingo, who explains him the paradoxical experiment Schrodinger's Cat and the existence of parallel worlds. Further, he advises the obsessed Juan to leave the house otherwise could be trapped in another world.
- DirectorJ.A. BayonaStarsBelén RuedaFernando CayoRoger PríncepA woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróPaco PlazaStarsManuela VelascoFerran TerrazaJorge-Yamam SerranoA television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.
- DirectorLuis PiedrahitaRodrigo SopeñaStarsAlejo SaurasElena BallesterosLluís Homar4 mathematicians are invited to solve an enigma. Once there, they're locked in a mechanically shrinking room and given 1 minute to solve each puzzle via cellphone while also figuring out why they're there.
- DirectorJavier FesserStarsNerea CamachoCarme EliasMariano VenancioThe young daughter of sectarian religious fanatics faces a deadly illness soon after falling in love for the first time.
- DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsCarlos ArecesAntonio de la TorreCarolina BangA young trapeze artist must decide between her lust for Sergio, the Happy Clown, or her affection for Javier, the Sad Clown, both of whom are deeply disturbed.
- DirectorIcíar BollaínStarsGael García BernalLuis TosarKarra ElejaldeAs a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.
- DirectorAgustí VillarongaStarsFrancesc ColomerMarina ComasNora NavasIn the harsh post-war years' Catalan countryside, Andreu, a child that belongs to the losing side, finds the corpses of a man and his son in the forest. The authorities want his father to be made responsible of the deaths, but Andreu tries to help his father by finding out who truly killed them. In this search, Andreu develops a moral consciousness against a world of adults fed by lies. In order to survive, he betrays his own roots and ends up finding out the monster that lives within him.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsAntonio BanderasElena AnayaJan CornetA brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
- DirectorJaume BalagueróStarsLuis TosarMarta EturaAlberto San JuanCesar, a miserable man who works as an apartment concierge, takes a special interest in an attractive woman who lives there. He goes to great lengths to trouble her.
- DirectorPablo BergerStarsMaribel VerdúEmilio GaviraDaniel Giménez CachoA twist on the Snow White fairy tale that is set in 1920s Seville and centered on a female bullfighter.
- DirectorEnrique UrbizuStarsJose CoronadoRodolfo SanchoHelena MiquelA corrupt policeman commits a crime when drinking late at night. While his colleagues are trying to investigate his murder, he tries to clean up the evidence.
- DirectorJ.A. BayonaStarsNaomi WattsEwan McGregorTom HollandThe story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.