10 Latin American movies you can’t miss

Latin American countries have seen, in recent years, a huge revolution on the big screen. It is increasingly clear that there are good ideas and original scripts around here.

Latin America also has a wide collection of good films that have been recognized worldwide. We know that the list is very long and maybe many films are left out, but the awesome.club wants to share with you a list of 10 movies you should watch, whether you’re local or foreign.

1. City of God (Brazil, 2002)

2. The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina, 2009)

“The Secret in Their Eyes” is a drama/suspense film directed by Juan Jose Campanella based on the book “The Secret in Their Eyes” by Eduardo Sacheri. It won the Oscar for best foreign film and was undoubtedly one of the best films of 2009. The story unfolds between memories, courts and love. The subtlety and involvement with which Campanella narrates the story will make you feel identified with the characters. We better not spoil the surprise and let you be surprised by this incredible film starring the no less incredible actor Ricardo Darín.

3. Hermano: A Fable About Football (Venezuela, 2010)

In most families that have children close in age, there is a duality of feelings; one day they love each other and the next, they hate each other. So does this pair of brothers, who grow up passionate about football but have different personalities. One, dreamy and enthusiastic, the other, dishonest and resentful. It’s worth seeing where this story ends after both have the opportunity of their lives to show their gifts in front of a scout who puts them to the test; it is there that we can assess who wins, or what happens in the lives of these young people.

4. Amores Perros (Mexico, 2000)

“Amores Perros” is a feature film by director Alejandro Gonzáles Iñarritu. A film full of emotions and very exciting. It talks about redemption and human experiences that are often raw and hurtful, but at the same time, they teach you to reconcile with yourself and keep hope alive.

5. Maria Full of Grace (Colombia, 2004)

Maria’s working conditions are very harsh. Despite being a young woman (only 17 years old), she has to face the responsibilities of the home very early on, which is why she decides to try her luck in the capital, where she is dragged into the world of international drug trafficking, hired as a ‘mule’ to transport drugs in the stomach to the United States.

In addition to being a work that addresses the topic of drugs, Maria Cheia de Graça should be seen as a film about overcoming and the decisions, consequences and discussion about how far we can let the circumstances of life affect us and lead us to a situation worst.

6. Of Love and Other Demons (Costa Rica, 2009)

It is a film based on the book “On Love and Other Demons”, by Nobel García Márquez, directed by Hilda Hidalgo and produced jointly by Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico. A beautiful story of love and seduction between a 13-year-old girl who wants to know what kisses taste like, and a priest.

If you are a good art observer and critic, this film brings it all together: photography, literature, acting and music. Take the opportunity to taste and enjoy with all the attention in the world.

‘Machuca’ tells the story of an elite school in Santiago, which, during Salvador Allende’s period, sought to integrate low-income students into classrooms. More than a history of the political divisions of the time, the work shows the social inequalities that still divide Chileans.

8. Whiskey (Uruguay, 2004)

Directed by Juan Pablo Rebela and Pablo Stoll, it is a co-production with Argentina, Germany and Spain. Social conventions lead us to play characters we’re not really. In this quest for acceptance, we are transforming our lives into an immense patchwork quilt to which we are obliged to add new patches at every moment to maintain a history of appearances and, thus, be well accepted. The work was awarded at film festivals such as Cannes, Tokyo, Chicago and Gramado.

9. Memories of Underdevelopment (Cuba, 1968)

From director Tomás Gutierrez Alea. Adapted from the book by Edmundo Desnoes, which presents the life perspective of a bourgeois in decline, showing the conformism and cultural underdevelopment of his social context (First years in power of Fidel Castro).

An elegant and poetic, rational and ironic film, which features spectacular black and white photography, with a suggestive but impactful narrative exposition. Sentimental experiences and reflections of its protagonist will fix you to the screen, making you feel part of the film with several of its subjective and frozen planes that you will encounter.

10. Against the Current (Peru, 2009)

Film directed by Rafael Gutierrez and Elisa Salinas. The work belongs to the genre of drama and romance, especially drama, since in several scenes there are sad events, and even cruel ones for the protagonists.

It shows us the harsh reality in which many women can live due to changes in men’s behavior. Even so, they fight day after day to face the situation in which each one lives and do not give up.