For today, here's a list of movies to watch at least once in your lifetime, including important pillars of cinema history.
Read till the end for an extra film!
For those who may not know, April 23 is Spanish Language Day at the United Nations: an event established by the Department of Public Information in 2010 to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the organization.
Here are some films, some newer than others, to watch to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity:
1. Pan's Labyrinth
A masterpiece by Guillermo del Toro, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 to great acclaim, holding the record for the longest standing ovation at 22 minutes. It tells the story of a curious 10-year-old girl named Ofelia who ventures into a forest and encounters a terrifying faun, leading to surreal and violent tasks to return to her normal life.
2. All About My Mother
A drama by Pedro Almodóvar from 1999, also presented at Cannes where it won the Best Director award, along with an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. It tells the tragic story of a mother who unexpectedly loses her son on what was supposed to be a positive day, turning into a disaster.
3. Y Tu Mamá También
Another classic directed by Alfonso Cuarón, presenting two 17-year-old friends eager to grow up, discover life, and party. They meet an older woman, Louisa, and embark on a journey filled with friendship, tensions, and jealousies.
4. Amores Perros
Alejandro González Iñárritu's 2000 film about love, betrayal, and death. It revolves around an accident, two desperate lovers, and how their lives intersect and are overturned by an unexpected encounter.
5. The Invisible Guest
A 2016 film directed by Oriol Paulo, less known but successful among viewers for its twists, tension, suspense, and intricate plot. It follows a man who wakes up locked in a hotel room with his beloved, who was killed while he was unconscious. With the help of a skilled lawyer, we uncover the events together.
6. Mirage
A 2018 film by the same director as the previous one, keeping viewers glued to the screen as they try to anticipate what's coming. The surprising and intricate plot, reminiscent of Nolan's style, revolves around a malfunction in the spacetime continuum that allows a girl to save a boy's life twenty-five years ago, leading to unforeseen consequences.
Starring in this movie there is Alvaro Morte, well known for the Professor in the Money Heist but lately more popular for the priest role in the horror movie Immaculate with Sidney Sweeney.
+ Bonus Film:
Un Chien Andalou
An unmissable 21-minute short film from 1929 directed by Luis Buñuel, in collaboration with the renowned artist Salvador Dalí, (especially for cinema fans/scholars) considered a classic example of fully surrealist European cinema, changing the way films were seen and made.
Written by Olga Raimondo