Spanish Movies for cultural understanding and language acquisition?
What are some good Spanish movies which help with language/culture learning?
There are very few Spanish speakers around me and I would like to hear people who speak Spanish as their native tongue, so I figured that movies would be a good idea.
As far as genre goes, I would prefer some kind of comedic/dramatic piece.
My Spanish class has watched "Real Women Have Curves" and although it isn't entirely in Spanish, it helped show some of the modern Hispanic culture.
Thank you for your help!
5 Answers
I'd recommend La Misma Luna (sentimental drama) and Sin Nombre (serious drama). Anything by the director Pedro Almodóvar is good (weird and funny).
How about 'el orfanato'? I watched it the other day, and it was a decent film. It has english subtitles with it. If you're into thriller type films, then this may be your kind of thing.
Casi Divas and Ladrón Que Roba a Ladrón. ¡Que te diviertas!
Yes, substance is important but volume is more important. Repetition is what burns stuff into your brain. Read, watch and listen to a lot of stuff a lot of times.
I really liked Nueve Reinas, which takes place in Argentina. It's a funny caper movie about two con-men who are forced to work together on a big job. They talk fast, so it might be a bit of a challenge to follow along (I had to use subtitles for parts of it), but it's a great movie anyway and got a US remake that was not as good.
Other movies El Norte - Older movie about a brother and sister that flee their Latin American village and flee to America illegally. Good movie though a little political and not exactly a laugh-a-minute kinda thing, though certainly dramatic.
Jauna la Loca - Based on the true story about the Spanish queen that went mad from love of her womanizing king. Not sure how true to history it is (although that really was her nickname), but gives a good feel for Medieval Spanish royalty culture and is pretty funny in parts. The banter between Juana and her King are pretty good throughout.
Y Tu Mamá Tambien - Very funny story about a couple of rich Mexican kids that go on a road trip with an older woman. The two guys can drive you a little mad, but it's true to character for both and the back and forth between them is funny.
