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| Noche de fuego (2021) |
¡Buenos días, todos!
I hope you're all doing well! It's been a hot minute since I posted because I've been really busy in school. That's all over now as I recently graduated with a minor in Hispanic Studies (I have a post on my major coming up, but it's taking a while)!
To celebrate, I thought I'd commemorate all of the films I watched for my various Hispanic Studies classes! Which...was a lot. I mean, one class was specifically a Hispanic film class (where we watched 13 movies), but the other 12 were sprinkled around. There are so many other stories I could talk about (having taken Hispanic Theater and Hispanic Literature classes), but because this is Movies Meet Their Match I thought I'd start with films. Therefore, I'm going be ranking all 25 of the movies that I watched! Which, if you've been around for a while, you might have been wondering about from my yearly wrap-ups.
Even though I was trying to keep it short by only talking movies, this post is still ENORMOUS. So feel free to skim and skip around based on what sounds interesting to you!
How this will work: I'll provide a brief summary (written by yours truly so not all that official, haha.) and then thoughts on why it is ranked where it is.
This was harder than I thought. I have my strong dislikes and my ABSOLUTELY LOVE, but in the middle they're mostly on the same level.
All of these movies have varying levels of content, but I'm mostly going to be talking about what the story's significance was to me. On some, the content is why it is so low in the ranking which I will mention, but that's usually tied into other aspects. If you have any questions about the age ranges for any of these movies feel free to ask and I will provide details!
25. El conde [English title: The Count] (2023)
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Premise: Chile's dictator Augusto Pinochet is actually a vampire. This has lead him to live longer so he's faked his death a few times. Now he doesn't want to live so his family is waiting for him to die and to get on with it his children hire a nun to exorcise him.
Hated it. Most of my class hated the gore and violence, but I was most upset about the assault. Yes, but it's probably shown as a bad thing...not really. This woman is raped but it's all set up as she gave in to the seducing eventually, with this whole ecstasy sequence and I was over it. I was very triggered.
I think this has some creative ideas (Pinochet as a vampire! Who are other historical "vampires"?), but I did not like the plot at all. So much so that I stopped watching it and was doing sudoku while it played in the background. Just now I had to look up what actually happened to write the summary (thanks Wikipedia for the stark reminder that YEP, STILL HATE IT). My sisters and I joke about repressing things (it's a movie reference but I'm blanking right now on what movie...) but it's true. I do not want to think about this one, so moving on.
24. Memorias del subdesarrollo [English title: Memories of Underdevelopment] (1968)
Premise: While many left Cuba between the Revolution and the Cuban Missile Crisis, wealthy writer Sergio stayed. This collection of his memories is his disgust at the mentality and cultures of the people there in contrast with actual footage of things that happened.
I get the point now, but I feel like there should be a huge disclaimer of YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LIKE THE MAIN CHARACTER. He is one of the most despicable people ever. And that's the point. Because he's supposedly lamenting all of these people who are "underdeveloped," but it is HIS memories that we're seeing, so he's the one who is "underdeveloped." Maybe that is a spoiler. But I feel you can appreciate it better if you know that going in.
I mean, Sergio is wanting to emulate Hemingway, if that tells you anything.
This is the only movie I've seen from Cuba, I think? So I appreciate that. This is a critique in so many ways, I just don't think I was ready for it.
23. El buen patron [English title: The Good Boss] (2021)
Premise: Julio Blanco is owner of a prestigious scale factory. He is known in the business world as being a good boss, but in reality he is cruel. In order to gain awards, he starts getting involved in the lives of his employees. Meanwhile, someone he fired is fed up and wants to put the scales back in balance.
I watched this for extra credit. And, again, a character that you're not supposed to like is the main person we're watching. Which is my least favorite plot device. I am never going to get invested if I don't have a reason to root for the character! It has made me say, "That's Javier Bardem!" every single time I now see Javier Bardem in something. This was the first time I went to a cool independent movie theater in my college town, so I appreciated the excuse to go there.
22. Madres paralelas [English title: Parallel Mothers] (2021)
Premise: Janis is a photographer who after getting involved with an archaeologist decides to raise her baby on her own. She bonds with a young girl who gives birth the same day she does, but after Arturo denies being the child's father, this leads to uncovering more secrets that Janis does everything in her power to keep buried.
I had such a hard time summarizing this because the things that are important to me in this film aren't the plot, but side stories that I wish HAD been the plot. This movie was made under a time-crunch because it was talking about issues happening in Spain at the time (finding the bodies of people who disappeared during the Civil War), but...it needs more editing. I was so bored watching this that I kept zoning out and instead thinking about how to re-cut it. Because do we need that many sex scenes? No.
This has an interesting perspective on loss and hanging on to the past. I'd guessed what was going to happen through my theological studies, whether that was purposefully put in there or not.
An interesting one for the LGBTQ+ community, but I was put off by the age difference because I think Ana was still a minor? Also the adultery between Janis and Arturo is not what I'm here for.
21. Retablo (2017)
Premise: Segundo is apprentice to his father who makes elaborate retablos--decorative boxes that display a scene inside them. His father is much revered for his artistry, but Segundo senses tensions. The stories that are on display are not the only stories being told and when Segundo finds a secret retablo he is conflicted on where his loyalties and love lies.
This one is important, but it's rough. I'd heard about it a lot from my professor before watching it and had it hyped up, so much that I thought it was about something else. The LGBTQ+ aspect is important, but I don't think it's that beneficial to the community. However, just because it isn't positive doesn't mean it's not realistic, and this looks at rural life, being trapped in tradition, and facing cruelty. I don't support all of the decisions here, but I think we can agree the society sets the characters up for failure.
My favorite part of this movie was the discussion we had in class where one of my classmates asked "What we would do if we were Segundo?" An essential question for everyone to grapple with who watches this.
20. Ixcanul (2015)
Premise: Maria is tired of her life below the mountain growing coffee---where she is about to be married off---and yearns to go North. Desperate to escape, she comes up with a plan where the boy she likes will take her to the U.S. when he runs away. Betrayed and now left with consequences, her mother asks for help from the gods within Ixcanul, the volcano where she lives.
The ending was so solid, really connecting so many elements from the beginning. I just HATED the beginning. The whole first half. I wish that we had started from half-way through? I get that there are supposedly important elements for the story, but I just don't think that we needed to see it on screen and we could've gotten exposition. I'd been so annoyed at this movie that I had been making lists on my computer while "watching" it until the middle. Then there was pay-off after pay-off that it was like watching a train crash but the story couldn't go anywhere else. And, ironically, that's when I couldn't tear my eyes off the screen.
The dynamic between Maria and her mother was so fascinating because Maria's mother will do absolutely everything for her daughter, but usually makes a decision without Maria's input. You can see that they love each other, but there are in a cycle of tensions that they continue to create. It also was really cool to hear the language Kaqchikel.
19. Neruda (2016)
Premise: Politician and poet Pablo Neruda is under warrant for arrest but no one can find him. Policeman Óscar Peluchonneau is assigned to find him and to do that decides to study Neruda's life and poetry. As Neruda continually evades him, Peluchonneau despairs that this is just like a story and struggles to break the ending that he sees coming for him.
This one was well-made and a different style than I'm used to seeing in Hispanic films (noir! We had a whole discussion about that. Even though I was the only one of my classmates who had watched a noir movie before. Old movies for the win!), but I just really don't like the figure Neruda. I was rooting more for Gael García Bernal (as you do). It was interesting to see how other people reacted to Neruda, even though I was screaming at the screen at one point that they shouldn't be.
Along with being noir, it is also a psychological drama in Peluchonneau's mind. The poor dear.
18. Todo sobre mi madre [English title: All About My Mother] (1999)
Premise: Manuela is a transplant surgeon in Madrid. After a surgery she never wanted to see, all hope for her future is gone. She decides to go back to the past and fulfill her son's wish of contacting his father. Through that, in Barcelona she finds an old friend and relives the past through helping a woman who is pregnant by her son's father.
This is an important movie (it's on 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list, along with Memorias del subdesarrollo.), it just isn't my favorite. I get the cultural significance, but I don't think I'd want to watch it again because, even though it was a small part of the plot, the transplants hit me really hard as I know people who might have to be on a transplant list some day. I feel like I was missing something from it because I haven't seen All About Eve (where the title comes from) or A Streetcar Named Desire, which are big parts of the plot. Who knows, maybe I'll watch it again after I see those respective films.
It's commentary on the AIDS/HIV epidemic which was so huge but because it was before I was born I feel like people tend to hush it up? People also tend to act as if the LGBTQ+ community is a new thing, but it really isn't, and the presence of trans characters in this film shows part of that. I would SO MUCH prefer this to be the token LBGTQ+ movie than Rocky Horror. This gives a compassionate look at these characters while also showing what it's like to live in a society where your options are limited. Manuela is such a kind-hearted character and I admire her so much.
I cried just at seeing Barcelona because at the time I was watching this I knew someone there.
17. Pájaros de verano [English title: Birds of Passage] (2018)
Premise: Zaida and Rapayet go through the rituals of becoming a couple, but when Rapayet becomes involved in drug trafficking, and the traditional values and rituals are put to the side.
This one is a cautionary tale. In my class I remember talking about the similarities between this and The Odyssey, but when I went back through the slides it only had the question of "how is it similar?" and none of the answers. And I don't remember the answers. Or much of the plot, as is shown by my very weak description of the premise. I also don't really remember why it is titled the way it is (...I think it was the dance that Zaida did?). All in all, of all the movies on this list, I remember this one the least, which is why it's low in the ranking. So I probably should watch it again.
It's about losing culture which is important because so often the stereotype of Hispanic countries is about gangs, but that's stepping away from what the culture actually is, which is the travesty.
16. Ya no estoy aquí [English title: I Am No Longer Here] (2020)
I think about this one a lot. About Kolombia and cumbia and style and what it means to dance. This movie looks at how gangs aren't always bad, but when kids are in a space surrounded by violence then that forces them to become the biggest oppressors. This had the potential for exactly the kind of story I adore, but then took a different turn. Not that the result was bad, I just was disappointed from where I thought it was going. But it did it's job in making me think about it from time to time.
This was cool to watch because I'd just been to New York, so getting the perspective of the Hispanic culture there was a different angle than I'd just seen, but familiar at the same time. It's also a critique on the U.S. and how it is not as accepting as those moving there would hope for it to be.
15. Los reyes del mundo [English title: Kings of the World] (2022)
Premise: A group of boys have been living on the streets of Medellín, and though only two of them are related, the whole group is family. When Rá learns he can get his grandmother's property---seized by the years ago by the government but is now being returned---the boys start their way across the country to try to find home.
This one is so stinking rough. It's about kids who have no supervision and do whatever they want; one's heart breaks at the loneliness because even though they have each other, they don't have a future. They imagine a utopian world of white horses where they are the kings, but they have to deal with the dangers of this world, first, and the government and systems are set-up to make them fail. This is a kind of a world where the only kindness they receive is at a brothel.
The punches that this delivers were UNCALLED FOR. I'm still upset. The pobrecitos. For some reason the Columbian accent was harder for me to understand which I was very surprised about. I liked Laura Mora Ortega's directing and would love to watch more of her work (which reminds me to get started on the show Cien años de soledad...).
14. Roma (2018)
Premise: Cleo works for a wealthy family in the Roma neighborhood in Mexico City. The film follows her struggles: facing judgement for being Mixtec, caring for children while dealing with her unhappy employer, and her own unsatisfying relationship.
AKA the one that won so many awards. When I watched this I was so confused, as was my entire class. Once we had our discussion I think I understand it more? It is culturally significant (again, so many awards!) but it's not my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I think it deserved the awards. I just also think that there are many on this list that ALSO deserve awards but didn't get the attention because they weren't directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
What is my favorite, is the Billie Eilish song about it called "When I Was Older." Cannot recommend enough.
If it wasn't apparent before this, I should say for those of you who haven't watched Hispanic films, the plot structure is very different than most Hollywood films. There are not the typical plot points, therefore the premise is difficult to describe. When we watched this for class I remember some people struggling with it being black and white, but my old movie watching came in handy and I was not put off at all.
13. Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades [English title: Bardo: False Chronicle of A Handful of Truths] (2022)
Premise: Silverio is a writer who splits his time between the U.S. and Mexico. The film follows bizarre moments in Silverio's life and imagination that walk through the history of Mexico and current issues as well as the history of Silverio and his wife as they deal with the grief of losing a child many years ago.
This one is teetering on the line of "okay" and "I LOVE IT." It's so weird, guys. And some of the segments are a little too weird for me, like the child who has Silverio's head. And the most disturbing sex scene of all time. But the rest of it?? The airport scene lives rent-free in my head and is one of my favorite things ever. "America is a continent not a country, *starts swearing*" Say it louder for the people in the back! I also love the ties to Julio Cortazar's "Axolotl." And the theatricality of Mexico's history that is so tongue-in-cheek. And the most realistic flying dream of all time (the cinematography!! Totally should've won an Oscar).
So yeah, I'd actually really recommend this one, and I'm going to firmly say now that it is in the "I LOVE IT" camp. Just be prepared (especially because the sex scene has no build-up. I get the symbolism, I just have no desire to watch it.)
I was also taking a Hispanic history class at the same time and seeing all of the Hernán Cortez references I felt very knowledgable.
12. Güeros (2014)
Premise: After some trouble, Tomás goes to live with his brother Sombra in Mexico City. Tomás's idol is Epigmenio Cruz who recorded the song on the tape that Tomás carries with him everywhere. Sombra, his roommate, and Tomás set out across the city, navigating zoos and student uprising to try to find Epigmenio Cruz.
This one seems so casual compared to all of the others. But it's also the exact kind of story that I love? Sibling roadtrip? Not leaving town but discovering more about yourself? Looking for something that's lost? I don't know what it is. Besides the close up making-out that takes way too long (Chloe the editor at work again), I have no complaints about this movie. It's a vibe.
The thing that I love about these movies, too, is that there is so much to discuss because the answers aren't given. Things are left up in the air. In my Hispanic Film class, for each of the 13 films we spent two 75-minute class periods on it. THAT'S how much there is to say about these, but even then it isn't always enough. Like with this one. I would love to delve into each and every spot that they stop. So I wrote a paper that included this film. The only reasonable solution, you know.
11. Lo que arde [English title: Fire Will Come] (2019)
Premise: Benedicta's son, Amador, is recently released from prison. In the wilds of Spain, while it is away from prying eyes, everyone is still suspicious of Amador due to his history of arson.
I was in a bit of a fever dream watching this because it was 8AM and I had been up late coding. But I vibed with it so hard, it made me write a blog post. So even though I don't really remember much about it (hence the short description), I remember loving the colors and the cinematography. I also remember not understanding what they were saying and was thinking that I was just tired, but I feel justified in my confusion because according to Wikipedia this film is in Galician, not Spanish.
Meanwhile all of my classmates hated it and I don't get why. It follows the idea that if you put someone in a box, labelling them and refusing to see who they really are, eventually they will succumb to that label.
10. La llorona (2019)
Premise: After a court case against Enrique Monteverde that ended in his favor, him and his family are stuck inside their house due to the protestors outside. It's no better inside as mysterious and supernatural appearances of water start to occur in his house. What he doesn't know is that the newly hired maid is not all that she seems.
If you're going to give me horror, my number one rule is that it has to mean something; it can't just be for the purpose of scaring people. And this does exactly that. It asks questions such as: what is justice? Who's telling the truth? What does it mean to trust people? All while being deliciously creepy in a poignant way of Guatemalan myths.
If you've seen the movie Coco (2017), then you've heard one song about the pain of La llorona (which is one of my FAVORITE songs of the entire movie). If you are interested in a more creepy aspect of that same pain, then this film is for you. I also love the cameo of Rigoberta Menchu. Which is my reminder to read the book about her life.
9. Noche de fuego [English title: Prayers for the Stolen] (2021)
Premise: Ana lives with her mother in a small town, where they work harvesting poppy seeds. In the world of drug trafficking and more, Ana's whole childhood has had the fear that something bad is going to happen, but she's got her friends by her side, and with the words of her teacher she dreams of a better world.
The reason the English title is the most different than the Spanish title is because it was originally a book written in English called Prayers for the Stolen - by Jennifer Clement. Based on how much this story has my heart, I should read the book.
This one is very similar to Los pajaros de verano, but I think it's better done. Maybe because it's told from the perspective of a child? The fear that this movie is absolutely soaked in is heartbreaking, but the friendships between the girls are what carry it. I did a whole presentation about this movie and therefore I love it.
8. The Boy from Medellín (2020)
Premise: Musician J. Balvin prepares for a huge concert in his hometown of Medellín, Colombia, and contemplates whether he should address the politics of the country.
This is a documentary and it is the fault of this that I am always listening to "Mi Gente" and "Obra de arte" as performed by J. Balvin. This is such an interesting look at what it means to be a celebrity and when to use your voice. Because whether you speak up or you hold back, people are going to be angry at you. So what do you do?
This one is so high in my ranking because when I finished watching it I was in a really positive mood. Which isn't usually what happens with these movies, haha! I mean, you can't listen to "Mi Gente" and "Obra de arte" without smiling.
7. El abrazo de la serpiente [English title: The Embrace of the Serpent] (2015)
Premise: Just as a river splits into many different branches, this story splits into the different branches of Karamakate's life, both past and present. Past: Theo seeks Karamakate out as a guide to explore. Present: Evan seeks Karamakate out to help him find a sacred plant. Karamakate can't remember what happened last time, and goes to find his memory.
I originally thought this one was interesting, that's all. Now it's low-key become my "Roman empire." I think about it all the time, not only in my Hispanic studies classes but in theology, too. I love that this has over 10 languages. I love the double timelines. I love the commentary on "explorers" and "scientists" and what it means to protect.
The one thing I don't love so much is the ending because I don't quite get it? My professor was really excited about explaining the parallels between this and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), but I hate that movie, so I wasn't buying it. All in all, the environmental commentary is excellent and I could be here all day talking about it.
6. Argentina, 1985 (2020)
Premise: Lawyers Julio César Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo take on a huge court case: a trial against the military dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla that ended two years ago. The idea that the government can get rid of anyone they don't like---"los desaparecidos" (the disappeared ones)---is a threat hanging over both Julio and Luis's lives.
If there was ever a movie whose setting FELT like a year, it's this. This feels like 1985. I mean, I wasn't around to see 1985, but that's what I think it felt like.
I think I mention this every time I talk about a court drama movie, but I always expect it to be boring? Yet it never is. What sold this movie is the relationships. Julio has such a different dynamic with each member of his family, and I loved them all, but especially the quiet curiosity of his son. This kind of has a real-world-yet-Avengers-esque aspect of "let's build a team" that I LOVE. The clips from the actual trial, too, are incorporated so well. The fact that it blends together so well is another testament to how this movie feels straight out of 1985.
5. La teta asustada [English title: The Milk of Sorrow] (2009)
Premise: A woman suffered horrendous abuse from the invasion of a guerrilla group, and her pain transferred to her daughter Fausta through the very milk fed to her. Fausta is now processing her grief and fear, coping to protect herself yet causing different health issues. She starts working for a famous pianist to earn enough to bury her mother.
If I were to describe this as briefly as possible, it would only take two words: GENERATIONAL TRAUMA. This is seeped in magical realism that is looking at how to deal with that trauma. And it was kind of my first encounter with magical realism, not in the form of horror like La llorona. My classmates and I, separately, all had to pause and say, "wait a minute, a potato??" In the movie's world it is not considered strange but accepted as part of the magic.
I lead a class discussion in this (I think I went waaaaaaay over time) about self-protection vs. self-harm. Fausta needs a hug more than anything, but she also needs a way to not be afraid, and one's heart just aches for her throughout the movie.
4. No (2012)
Premise: In order to prove to international powers that Chile is not under a dictatorship, the people are getting to vote to answer the question, "Should Pinochet remain in power?" The two sides, "YES" and "NO", will each get a TV campaign to answer the question. Many are despondent, thinking that this is a formality and no matter the results, "YES" will win, but René is hired to run the "NO" campaign and is determined to convince the people otherwise.
In contrast to El Conde---also directed by Pablo Larraín about Chile and Pinochet---it's notable that I love this one so much. I think a factor is because we never really see Pinochet and instead are looking at the basic lives of the people who have been hurt by him. This uses a different political tactic than one usually sees: hope. It's genius and such a fascinating look at psychology and sociology.
And as a bonus, René's relationship with his son is precious. And it's Gael Garcia Bernal, so who are we kidding.
3. Volver (2006)
Premise: Raimunda has a lot going on: the consequences of her daughter's self-defense, running her friend's restaurant, her aunt's funeral, and on top of it all, a return from the dead. Alone, she tries to do everything for her daughter that her family didn't do for her.
I can't geek out about this movie enough. I was deliberately mislead to what it was about and that kind of made my experience all the better. It's about generational trauma and trying to stop it while also seeing what returns (the verb "volver"). I loved the Don Quijote references.
Penelope Cruz is STUNNING. I love how this focuses on the role of women, from opening with cleaning tombstones to running a restaurant, to grieving, to protecting one's family. I just dig this so hard. I go back and forth on whether I like No or Volver better, but today I'm in a Volver mood.
2. Los lobos [English title: The Wolves] (2019)
Premise: Lucia and her two sons have just come to the U.S.. Lucia does not have money for childcare so she leaves Max and Leo alone while she works, and they amuse themselves with stories of unstoppable ninja wolves and the hope of going to Disneyland. However, the scariest dangers might not be the adventures of their imagination, but the real world.
MY BELOVED. *sobs* This was the first movie I ever watched for a Hispanic Studies course and I immediately fell in love. It's reality and story telling and immigration and trying to survive all while kids are hoping for Disneyland. It's so hard but I love it.
I think it also hits hard because my first Spanish teacher back in High School looked SO MUCH like the actress for Lucia.
If you are interested in watching any film from this list, for a first Hispanic film, please please please watch Los Lobos. I don't think I need to say anything if you watch this. You will understand.
1. La noche de 12 años [English title: A Twelve Year's Night] (2018)
Premise: From 1972-1985, Uruguay was under a dictatorship. While those who were under the government suffered, even more so did the men who were imprisoned for those 12 years. Of nine people who were hostages, this film looks at the captivity of three of them: José Mujica, Mauricio Rosencof and Eleuterio Fernández Huidobro.
I can't tell you how much I love this movie. I wrote a whole essay about it and could write more.
This is far from an easy film to watch, which is why I recommend the more light-hearted Los Lobos for people just starting with this genre. La noche de 12 años is chock-full of torture, both mental and physical. Yet that doesn't make it any less worthwhile, because the persistence of the main characters is what gives me hope in this world.
Loneliness. Memory. People being treated with the utmost cruelty and my heart screams out THIS IS WRONG. Regardless of what these people did. Watching these horrors has made me want to be a better person.
This movie is actually the reason that I'm writing this post. The characters represented in this movie were real people. And one of them, José Mujica, passed away a couple weeks ago. I admire his persistence and humility and am so honored that I got to see his story told through this film.
Over winter break, my sister and I were summarizing the movies we'd watched in 2024 (as you do), and I started talking about how disappointed I was in the movie cover for this masterpiece. The one that I have above is pretty good because the words look like cells of a prison, but I wanted that included more. So I redid the poster.
And I'm pretty happy with the result. But of course, I'll have to rewatch the movie to confirm this is accurate...which, giving myself another reason to watch it, may have been my goal all along.
WHEW. That was a lot. If you made it through this monster post, thank you!
Have you ever watched a movie for a class (the best kind of homework, am I right?)? Have you seen any Hispanic films? Have you seen any of these movies? If not, which of these sounds most interesting to you? Which do you think would be your least favorite? Have you ever wanted to remake a movie poster? Do you dislike vampires as much as I do? I'd love to hear all of your thoughts!
Until next time, my friends!
Chloe the MovieCritic
