16 Good Spanish Movies On Netflix To Learn The Language From
- Written byBrandy Wells
- Read time12 mins
- Comments1
Your favorite activities, like watching Netflix, can become opportunities to sharpen your Spanish listening comprehension.
And when it comes to learning Spanish, there are tons of movies available in different genres, dialects, and levels of difficulty, so you’re sure to find several movies that fit your specific language goals and entertainment tastes.
If you’re hoping to use Netflix as a language learning tool, you’ll also benefit from the Language Learning with Netflix Browser Extension for Chrome.
Now, grab the popcorn and dive into this list of the best Spanish movies on Netflix to learn from. 🍿
NOTE: Unfortunately, the availability of these Netflix movies will vary based on your location. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can also type ‘Spanish’ into the search bar to see Spanish movies available in your country.
On the list:
- Vivir Dos Veces
- Se Busca Papá
- El Laberinto del Fauno
- Ocho Apellidos Vascos
- La Odisea de los Giles
- A Pesar de Todo
- Como Caído del Cielo
- También la Lluvia
- Perdiendo el Norte
- Toc Toc
- La Noche de 12 Años
- El Ciudadano Ilustre
- Ya No Estoy Aquí
- Soltera Codiciada
- Muchos Hijos, Un Mono, y Un Castillo
- Ahí Te Encargo
What should I watch in Spanish on Netflix?
Pick from this list to queue up your own Spanish movie marathon.
1. Vivir Dos Veces (Live Twice, Love Once)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
European Spanish | Comedy |
Synopsis: Vivir Dos Veces is a film about a Valencian man who discovers he has Alzheimer’s.
This news brings him closer to his daughter’s family and prompts him to take a trip to see a woman he once loved.
This feel-good comedy features a relatively neutral European Spanish accent. So, it’s easier to understand than some other Spanish films.
Plus, the movie offers opportunities to learn new colloquial expressions like liarla parda.
In the movie, it means to really make a mess of things, but it can also be positive depending on the context.
2. Se Busca Papá (Dad Wanted)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Mexican Spanish | Family |
Synopsis: Se Busca Papá is a 2020 film about a young girl named Blanca who loves BMX biking.
Blanca’s mom won’t let her enter a biking competition, and her dad has passed away. So, she hires an actor to pretend to be her dad so she can compete.
This heartfelt, occasionally cheesy family film is great for learners who want exposure to **Mexican Spanish. **
You’ll also learn a wide range of vocabulary, from words related to biking and acting to the ways parents and children communicate with one another.
3. El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
European Spanish | Fantasy |
Synopsis: Guillermo del Toro’s El Laberinto del Fauno is one of the most common Spanish movies to show during Spanish class, and for good reason.
It’s a multiple-award-winning dark fantasy set during Franco’s dictatorship in Spain in 1944.
The film pulls political tension into a twisted fairytale, as a young girl visits a labyrinth where mythical creatures come to life.
One is a faun that speaks slowly, which can help beginner and intermediate learners understand the dialogue.
Plus, since this film is so widely taught in Spanish classes, it’s easy to find supplemental learning materials to use while you watch.
4. Ocho Apellidos Vascos (Spanish Affair)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
European Spanish | Romantic Comedy |
Synopsis: Ocho Apellidos Vascos is a laugh-out-loud comedy about people from polar-opposite regions of Spain.
Comedian Dani Rovira plays a man named Rafa from Andalusia, the country’s southernmost autonomous community.
He falls in love with a woman from the northern region of the Basque Country and follows her there despite never having left his hometown.
Rafa pretends he is Basque, which leads to situations that poke fun at the differences between Andalusia and the Basque Country.
For Spanish learners, it’s a chance to learn about the different cultures within Spain.
You can also try your hand at understanding the famously quick **Andalusian accent. **
5. La Odisea de Los Giles (Heroic Losers)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Argentinian Spanish | Adventure/Comedy |
Synopsis: La Odisea de Los Giles is a film based on the book La Noche de Usina by Eduardo Sacheri.
It’s a Goya-winning movie about a group of people in small-town Argentina who plan a heist to recover money that was taken from them.
The movie spans genres, from comedy and adventure to crime and suspense.
It’s also a great opportunity to detect the Rioplatense dialect, what some refer to as** Argentinian Spanish.**
Hallmarks of this variety of Spanish include the ‘sh’ sound in place of ‘ll’ and ‘y’ in words like llamar and yo.
6. A Pesar de Todo (Despite Everything)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
European Spanish | Romantic Comedy |
Synopsis: A Pesar de Todo is a Netflix original rom-com about four sisters whose mother has just passed away.
At her funeral, they learn a secret—each of them has different fathers that they’ve never met before.
Now, these sisters have to go out and find each of the four fathers, or they won’t receive their inheritance. 💸
This film will introduce you to actresses you’re likely to see in many other Spanish movies and shows, like Belén Cuesta and Macarena García.
Plus, you’ll hear music in Spanish from the early 2000s, like Thalia’s “A Quién Le Importa,” or Who Cares, which is easy to learn and sing along with.
7. Como Caído del Cielo (As if Fallen from Heaven)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Mexican Spanish | Comedy |
Synopsis: Como Caído del Cielo is a comedy based on the life of Pedro Infante, the popular Mexican singer.
At the start of the film, Pedro is in a coma.
Instead of going to heaven for his music’s positive influence, or hell for his womanizing ways, he is sent back to earth for a second chance.
You’ll hear Pedro talk about his life in past, present, and future tense throughout the film, so it’s a chance to practice essential grammar points.
You’ll also hear classic Mexican music, like Pedro Infante’s “De Qué Me Sirve El Cielo,” or What Good Is Heaven.
8. También la Lluvia (Even the Rain)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Bolivian / Mexican / European Spanish (+ Quechuan) | Drama |
Synopsis: También la Lluvia is a fascinating drama about a Mexican filmmaker and Spanish producer shooting a film in Bolivia.
The two go to a city called Cochabamba to produce a movie about Christopher Columbus.
They pay locals a mere two dollars a day to participate as extras, despite their crucial roles as natives in the film’s storyline.
While making the film, Cochabamba locals, including an extra with one of the biggest roles, begin protesting for the right to access water.
Through this historical and social commentary, you’ll hear several accents, including **Bolivian, Mexican, and European Spanish. **
9. Perdiendo el Norte (Off Course)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
European Spanish | Comedy |
Synopsis: Perdiendo el Norte is a perfect choice for language learners.
That’s because it’s all about the inevitable faux pas that come with immersing in another culture.
This comedy features two Spanish men who decide to move to Berlin in search of work.
This film has a very physical style of humor, full of spills, funny costumes, and other shenanigans.
So, it’s easy to follow for beginner and intermediate learners, even if you miss some of the dialogue.
Plus, the main characters attend interviews and talk about work, so you can pick up some professional Spanish vocabulary along the way.
If you’re interested in focusing on Spanish for business, we know several resources that can help. (Here’s the list.)
10. Toc Toc (Toc Toc)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
European Spanish | Comedy |
Synopsis: Before you even watch Toc Toc, the film presents an amusing Spanish play on words right in the title.
The movie is about patients with OCD, which is written in Spanish as TOC, or trastorno obsesivo compulsivo.
Toc Toc is also the Spanish way of saying knock, knock, as one might say when arriving for an appointment.
The patients in the film are waiting for their psychologist, who is running late for each of their sessions.
They’re forced to spend time together while they wait, making for endless laughs as they get to know one another.
This movie features a relatively neutral European Spanish accent.
It also has plenty of new vocabulary words to learn on health and psychology.
11. La Noche de 12 Años (A Twelve-Year Night)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Uruguayan Spanish | Drama |
Synopsis: La Noche de 12 Años is based on a true story about an urban guerrilla group in Uruguay called Tupamaros.
Three of these members are taken in the night and held as hostages in solitary confinement for 12 years.
One of these men was José ‘Pepe’ Mujica, who would later become the president of Uruguay.
This movie provides learners with a unique opportunity to hear Uruguayan Spanish.
As you listen to the dialogue, you may note qualities of the Rioplatense dialect commonly associated with Argentinian Spanish.
Be on the lookout for some distinct features in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary.
12. El Ciudadano Ilustre (The Distinguished Citizen)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Argentinian and European Spanish | Comedy/Drama |
Synopsis: El Ciudadano Ilustre is about a Nobel prize-winning author named Daniel Mantovani who spent **40 years living in Spain. **
Daniel’s hometown of Salas, Argentina invites him to accept the award of Distinguished Citizen, prompting his first trip home in decades.
As the movie progresses, the author finds both familiarity and frustration as he navigates his time at home.
While you watch, you’ll note the similarities and differences between European and Argentinian Spanish.
You’ll also hear plenty of recognizable, everyday dialogue as Daniel speaks with old neighbors and friends in Salas.
13. Ya No Estoy Aquí (I’m No Longer Here)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Mexican Spanish (some English) | Drama |
Synopsis: Ya No Estoy Aquí is about a 17-year-old boy named Ulises who lives in Monterrey, Mexico.
A misunderstanding with a drug cartel forces him to leave his hometown, family, and friends behind, bound for Queens, New York.
Spanish learners may relate to the culture shock Ulises experiences in a country where he doesn’t speak the language.
Plus, this film offers more than just practice listening to Mexican Spanish.
You’ll learn about cumbia music and dancing, which are both central to this character’s identity.
14. Soltera Codiciada (How to Get Over a Breakup)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Peruvian Spanish | Romantic comedy |
Synopsis: Soltera Codiciada is a Peruvian rom-com about a copywriter named María Fé who is caught in the throes of heartbreak.
After some time numbing her problems, she decides to start a blog about embracing the single life.
This film is an excellent pick for people who are worried about not understanding a movie in Spanish.
That’s because the plot is fairly simple, and many believe Peruvian Spanish is one of the easiest varieties to understand.
Plus, you’ll see scenarios you experience in everyday life, like ordering drinks at a bar or going on a date.
15. Muchos Hijos, Un Mono, y Un Castillo (Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
European Spanish | Documentary |
Synopsis: This documentary follows director Gustavo Salmerón’s mother Julita and her over-the-top lifestyle.
Among her dreams? Having lots of kids, buying a monkey, and living in a castle.
Believe it or not, she achieves them all. 😂
This film is a peek into the world of a Spanish family. It’s Spanish at its fastest, with plenty of colloquialisms and informal vocabulary thrown in the mix.
I’ve added Muchos Hijos, Un Mono, y Un Castillo to the list for advanced Spanish learners who are up for a real challenge.
This is a far cry from your textbook Spanish. But, even if you don’t catch everything, the antics of this family are still delightfully entertaining.
16. Ahí Te Encargo (You’ve Got This)
Language | Genre |
---|---|
Mexican Spanish | Romantic Comedy |
Synopsis: This film is about a man named Alejandro who wants to have a child. But, his wife keeps delaying the step because of her booming career. Then, a friend says she needs help with her baby, Alan, and leaves him with Alejandro.
If you’re looking for a lighthearted rom-com for some passive Spanish practice, Ahí Te Encargo will be a great fit.
It’s a sentimental and at times silly movie that covers universal topics on careers, relationships, and parenthood.
Plus, both the themes and the actors’ accents are easy to follow, so you won’t have to pause to keep up with the story.
Can you learn Spanish by watching movies?
You might not learn everything you need to know by watching movies in Spanish.
Still, Spanish movie nights can help you practice listening, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
Use phrases from the movie as discussion points with your teacher.
Or simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of your language learning efforts (productive downtime).
With so many Spanish films available to stream, it can be hard to commit to one movie.
If you’re looking for something shorter, check this list of the best Spanish sitcoms to watch.
Now, there’s nothing left to do but press play and get learning. 🎬
What’s your favorite Spanish movie on Netflix?
Share with other Spanish learners in the comments below!
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1 COMMENT
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Tony Guest
This is a really helpful list and brilliant and informative summary. Thank you.
I am inspired to watch the films and learn more Spanish.
Thank you for producing this which is exactly what I have been looking for.