History was made when actor John Leguizamo commemorated “the most diverse list of nominees” at this year’s 76th annual Emmy Awards, with a specific nod to his fellow Latino actors. That night, Sept. 15, was the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month. “The Bear” star Liza Colón-Zayas became the first Latina actress to win in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Variety reported that Latinos accounted for less than 6% of the submitted candidates overall.
With alarming underrepresentation in mainstream Hollywood, watching stories with Hispanic creatives on-screen, as well as behind-the-scenes, is imperative. Here are 10 films made by and starring Hispanic artists that deserve a spot on your watchlist this Hispanic Heritage Month.
1. “Y Tu Mamá También”
Alfonso Cuarón’s 2001 coming-of-age road trip drama has not only become a staple in Mexican cinema, but is also a modern classic. The film follows two life-long teenage friends, Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael García Bernal), as they decide to live as bachelors for the summer while their girlfriends go to Italy. They meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú), the wife of Tenoch’s cousin, and begin to brag about their upcoming journey to a fantastical beach, but Luisa unexpectedly accepts the invite. The film is sexy, dramatic and heartfelt.
2. “Amores Perros”
The Mexican drama anthology, directed by Oscar-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Amores Perros” revolves around three people who are connected by a car crash in Mexico City. With the title itself being partially a pun and partially a way to understand the connection between all three of these storylines, “Amores Perros” deals with themes of violence, disloyalty and class division within Mexican culture. The film is intense and gritty, led by a talented ensemble cast.
3. “Volver”
Spanish visionary Pedro Almódovar’s filmography has no shortage of either his muse Penélope Cruz or a masterful use of the color red, but in his 2006 film “Volver,” his style is electrified. In “Volver,” two sisters, Raimunda (Cruz) and Sole (Lola Dueñas), learn about their deceased parents’ pasts when a ghost of their mother Irene (Carmen Maura) returns to their hometown. The melodramatic comedy features an eccentric female-led ensemble, caught in a major familial crisis. Stringing together a narrative revolving around death, abuse and motherhood, Almódovar balances drama and comedy, making light and smiling in the face of tragedy.
4. “Tótem”
Following acclaimed debut feature “The Chambermaid,” Mexican director Lila Avilés shows no signs of slowing down with her tender and heartfelt 2023 film “Tótem.” The film focuses on Sol, a seven-year-old girl, as she attends her father’s surprise birthday party. With a profoundly emotional performance from child actress Naíma Sentíes and Avilés carrying the audience through meeting every member of the family, “Tótem” is guaranteed to pluck at your heartstrings and return you to a state of child-like sentimentality. And you’ll probably want to call your family right after. And cry.
5. “Como Agua Para Chocolate”
A dramatic tale of forbidden love, “Como Agua Para Chocolate” combines melodrama and magic to create a unique romance film. The film follows a family, strained by the tension of twisted love, and uses protagonist Tita’s (Lumi Cavazos) cooking in its love story. Tita falls in love with Pedro (Marco Leonardi), but is expected to be her mother’s caretaker for life instead of getting married. Adapted from a novel of the same name, Alfonso Arau’s film is a staple in Mexican romance dramas.
6. “Selena”
If you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing your mother begin her weekend to the musings of Tejano superstar Selena, let this movie be part of your journey in getting to know the gone-too-soon singer. Written and directed by Gregory Nava shortly after the tragic passing of Selena Quintanilla, the 1997 biopic “Selena” gives an entire timeline of the icon, from her rise to fame in Corpus Christi, to winning her historic Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Album. Jennifer Lopez portrays Selena with an energetic and star-making performance.
7. “Real Women Have Curves”
Before she represented all women in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” America Ferrera starred in coming-of-age drama “Real Women Have Curves.” The film follows Mexican American teenager Ana (Ferrera), who struggles with pressures from her family and her own desires to leave her hometown to pursue higher education. With a plotline scarily similar to “Ladybird,” the film is heavily reflective of Mexican cultural norms, with Ana’s mother expecting her to live at home with her family in eastern Los Angeles until she’s married. The film is acclaimed for its portrayal of a first-generation daughter breaking a cycle of generational trauma.
8. “Pan’s Labyrinth”
A pioneer in the fantasy genre of film, taking whimsy and horror to garner auteur status, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” is one of his strongest films rooted in fairy tales and mythology to grace our screens. Taking place five years after the Spanish Civil War, the film follows the 11-year-old protagonist Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) through an elaborate and mysterious labyrinth as her mother falls ill and her stepfather is a captain partaking in the Francoist regime. The parable brought to screen brings commentary and a vision to the realities of war through the monsters we meet.
9. “La Casa Lobo”
To follow the theme of the horrors of war through an artistic spectacle, Chilean duo Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña’s feature debut “La Casa Lobo” is a film about Colonia Dignidad, a German Christian colony notorious for the internment and murder of political opponents and Chileans. In the film, Maria (Amaila Kassai) takes refuge in an abandoned house in the woods inhabited by two pigs, which slowly begins to entrap her. The picture’s stop-motion dark horror nature terrifies and unsettles its audience while representing the fears of Colonia Dignidad under Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship.
10. “El Esqueleto de la Señora Morales,” or “The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales”
A classic from early Mexican cinema, “El Esqueleto de la Señora Morales” is a black comedy from 1960. It follows a taxidermist that is fed up with the manipulation of his demeaning wife, and tries to kill her. The cinematography and lead performances as well as its use of comedy to satirize religious ideals within Mexican culture let this film standout from other pieces of early cinema from Mexico.
Contact Ana Marks at [email protected].
