Much of the success of Netflix, besides the wide availability of content and high quality streaming, has been the local and original language production from each country. In this Hispanic Heritage Month 2020, we bring you the best Spanish language series and movies available on your favorite platform. So take a seat on your favorite couch and enjoy it.
This is not a definitive list: We will be adding more content soon. In the transition to the “new normal,” these productions are worth playing, and you will surely find one that will get you hooked!
Nadie sabe que estoy aquí (Nobody Knows I’m Here)
Not to be confused with the Mexican Ya no estoy aquí (I’m no longer here), which is addressed in the next section. Nadie sabe que estoy aqui (Nobody knows I am here) is the first Chilean production on Netflix and tells the story of Memo, an introverted man who must face the traumas of his past. However, and in his favor, he has an enviable voice. Starring Jorge Garcia (Lost), Luis Gnecco, and Millaray Lobos, the film takes the viewer to a story that might seem to lack great “jumps”; however, it does not cease to be moving. The film is also Gaspar Antillo’s first feature film.
Ya no estoy aquí (I’m No Longer Here)
After becoming the overall winner of the renowned Morelia International Film Festival (Mexico), Ya no estoy aquí (I’m No Longer Here) arrived at the end of May 2020 to Netflix to have a more global impact. In this story directed by Fernando Frias de la Parra, 17-year-old Ulises is involved in a misunderstanding with a criminal gang, so he must leave Monterrey and travel to New York, where he does not exactly have a favorable start. The cast of the film is made up of young people who are not actors by profession.
Control Z
Sofia, played by Mexican actress Ana Valeria Becerril, is not like most of her schoolmates; she is distant, yet very observant, she looks at what every detail around her “says” in order to know the others. It is precisely this talent that she will use to unveil the hacker who has exposed the students’ secrets in front of the entire school.
Merlí
Whoever enjoyed the film The Dead Poets’ Society (Peter Weir), will find in Merlí a series that will keep them entertained for a long time. It tells the story of a philosophy teacher who encourages his students to think “differently”, which can lead to certain problems with young people, teachers, and parents. There is no denying that he is a source of inspiration, even for his gay son.
El hoyo (The platform)
Released in March 2020 on Netflix, this film is causing users to want to know more about everything that is represented in the production. Its story already draws attention: Goreng, by his own free will, enters a kind of retreat in a very strange place; month after month, he experiences how the challenges that are implemented are increasingly extreme, to the point of becoming a struggle for survival and to end the dignity of the participants. This is Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s debut.
Roma
Alfonso Cuarón’s successful film is an intimate story based on an early 1970’s Mexico City. The story is about Cleo, a domestic worker from Oaxaca who lives in her employer’s house and witnesses the many situations the family goes through. She also gives a glimpse of a living city, somewhat revolted by social movements. With a black and white photograph, Roma is a film worth re-watching, because it will always have something different to offer viewers.
Las chicas del cable (Cable Girls)
This is the first Netflix original series from Spain and has had a good reception since its premiere (2017), so much so that this 2020 is presenting its fifth season. Set in the 1920s, it follows the story of four women who seek to develop professionally as telephone operators, despite the prevailing machismo of the time and the fact that they feel tied to their family and partners. Without leaving out some political references, in this production, the public will find seemingly impossible love stories.
Élite
The Spanish production released its third season. After three young people receive a scholarship to study at Las Encinas, one of the most prestigious schools in Spain, the wealthy students will make sure that the newcomers do not have a pleasant stay; and to make things more complicated, there is the murder of one of the most dedicated girls of the institution. What is clear from this story is that appearances can be deceiving. Among the cast, the roles of María Pedraza (Money Heist), Itzan Escamilla, Miguel Herrán, Álvaro Rico, Ester Expósito, and Danna Paola stand out.
Desenfrenadas (Unstoppable)
According to the plot of this Mexican series, a lot can be discovered in a trip with friends. What seemed like a simple car trip of three young women to Oaxaca, in the center area in Mexico. got complicated when Marcela (Coty Camacho) “joined” the group. While this young drama develops, more of the characters is known and more complex issues related to women are addressed. Tessa Ía, Bárbara López, and Lucía Uribe are also part of the cast of Desenfrenadas (Unstoppable).
La casa de papel (Money Heist)
This one is another globally successful Netflix Spanish series, although at first it was broadcast on Antena 3. The story revolves around an assault on the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (Royal Mint), commanded by “El Profesor”, who recruits eight people with certain skills, but also with flaws that could throw it all away. Emotions present in each of the episodes of the assault and even the characters can gain the sympathy of the audience. Its fourth season premiered in April 2020.
La casa de las flores (The House of Flowers)
The third and final season of this series was scheduled for April 23, 2020, and it is set in the characters’ past. Therefore, more “gossip” about the De la Mora family is expected. In the story, a family’s flower shop is a symbol of happiness and union of its members. However, behind the facade, some secrets come to light and change everything. Among other topics, bisexuality, transsexuality, and drug addiction are addressed, of course, with the (black) humor that distinguishes Manolo Caro’s creations (Perfectos desconocidos-Perfect Strangers).
7 años (7 years)
This is Netflix’s first Spanish film, which received favorable reviews when it was released in October 2016. It tells the story of four that founded a company… The problem is that they have to decide who in the quartet will lose their freedom to save the company and the rest, in an environment where friendship is put to the test and personal interests seem to be the most important. The interesting thing about this production by Roger Gual (Smoking Room) is that everything takes place on one stage.
Las leyes de la termodinámica (The Laws of Thermodynamics)
Director Mateo Gil (Proyecto Lázaro-Realive) defines his film as: “It is not a documentary about physics. But neither is it precisely a romantic comedy”. With the style of a mockumentary, it tells the story of Manel, a physicist, and Elena, a model, and actress. The main purpose is to prove that their love affair was destined to fail from the beginning, due to the laws of physics.
Las crónicas del taco (Taco Chronicles)
In this docuseries, each episode is led by a taco. You will learn more about tacos al pastor, carnitas tacos, canasta tacos, barbecue tacos, asada tacos, and guisado tacos. There is also room for those characters who, as a tradition, prepare these delicacies every day to delight the palates of different regions of Mexico. However, when you finish watching this series, you will surely have a huge craving for tacos.
Club de Cuervos (Raven’s Club)
This is Netflix’s first original series in Spanish, by Gaz Alazraki and Michael Lam, and starring Mariana Treviño, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Stephanie Cayo, Daniel Giménez Cacho, and Ianis Guerrero. After the death of Salvador Iglesias, owner of the (fictitious) Cuervos de Nuevo Toledo club, his sons Salvador and Isabel Iglesias decide to compete to take over the team. There is no middle ground, you will either love or hate this series.
