The best Spanish movies on Netflix from Spain, Argentina, and beyond!

Publish date: 2022-03-24

Whether you’re a native speaker, are looking to improve your Spanish, or simply want to enjoy some great not-English films, we’ve put together a list of the 10 best Spanish-language movies on Netflix. All of them have subtitles, so don’t worry about the language barrier.

And if you’re not already a Netflix subscriber, hit the link below to sign up.

Netflix

Netflix is still the leading premium streaming service, with over 200 million worldwide subscribers. It offers thousands of movies and TV shows to binge watch, including its always growing list of original films and series, including Stranger Things, The Witcher, Bridgerton, and many more.

How to find Spanish-Language movies on Netflix

Unfortunately, Netflix doesn’t have a “Spanish movies” button anywhere. If you want Spanish-language films on Netflix, though, you can definitely narrow your search with a few easy steps:

Log into your account
Go to the menu at the top of your window and click “Movies”
In the “Genres” drop-down menu, select “International”
Scroll through the various menus that show up until you find one labelled “Spanish-Language Movies”

Once you’ve watched a few Spanish movies, Netflix will start to learn what you like and will likely recommend some other Spanish titles that might appeal to you.

Best Spanish movies on Netflix:

Editor’s note: This list will be updated as movies leave and other Spanish movies make their debut on Netflix.

Roma (2018)

Roma is one of the most critically acclaimed Spanish movies on Netflix, having won three Oscars, two Golden Globes, and three BAFTA awards. It takes place in the 1970s in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City. It follows the life of an indigenous housekeeper in a middle-class family, who takes care of their four young children. Events in the film bring them closer together even as the family falls apart.

The film is a semi-autobiographical take on writer and director Alfonso Cuarón’s upbringing. It’s made even more authentic by the performance of lead actress Yalitza Aparicio, who was raised by a single mother working as a maid. Her first film netted her a Best Actress Oscar nomination, despite having no formal acting training. If you watch Roma, you’ll see why her performance made such a mark.

7 Años (2016)

7 Años was the first Spanish movie made by Netflix back in 2016. In it, four business partners try to come up with a plan for who will take the blame for their financial crimes — and the seven years in prison that come with it.

The entire movie takes place in a single room, with only five characters featured in its 80-minute runtime. Even so, the strength of the script and performances make this one of the best Spanish movies on Netflix.

The Distinguished Citizen (2016)

Buena Vista International

This comedy-drama, which is known as “El cuidano ilustre” in Spanish, is about a fictional Nobel Prize-winning author from Argentina. After living in Europe for decades, he decides to return to his small, backwoods hometown to receive an award.

Problems arise when he comes face-to-face with the colorful characters and places he’s included in his novels. Often, his fictional accounts of life in his hometown don’t match up with reality, and its citizens take issue with how they’ve been represented.

Even the Rain (2010)

Vitagraph Films

Mexican filmmakers Sebastian and Costa head to Bolivia to shoot a movie about the conquest of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. The duo and their crew soon find themselves at odds with Native protestors, fighting back against the privatization of their water supply. The movie-within-a-movie format highlights the moral dilemma they face as they attempt to depict the region’s colonial history, even as anti-Indigenous policies persist.

Even the Rain is an award-winning drama directed by Icíar Bollaín and written by Paul Laverty, and it’s one of the best Spanish movies on Netflix.

The Invisible Guest (2016)

Warner Bros.

A businessman accused of murder has three hours to prepare his defence when a witness for the prosecution agrees to testify in this tense and gripping mystery thriller from Spanish filmmaker Oriol Paulo.

A major box-office success, The Invisible Guest spawned three remakes in different languages.

100 Meters (2016)

Based on a true story, 100 Meters (100 metros) tells the story of a man in Spain’s Basque country who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He’s told that within a year he won’t be able to walk 100 meters, hence the title.

To prove that he can overcome this terrible illness, he decides to train for a triathlon with the help of his father-in-law, who has recently attempted suicide. It’s a great story of pushing yourself forward in the face of insurmountable obstacles.

The Last Hour (2017)

bf Distribution

This Peruvian thriller is about two detectives who go undercover in 1992 to find the leader of the Shining Path, a Communist revolutionary political party in Peru. After years of brutal guerrilla warfare, it is time to take action against the group, but the two detectives will have to set aside their political differences to get the job done.

It’s a good Spanish movie on Netflix, but it isn’t for the faint of heart. The brutality of the era is shown in full, so keep that in mind before jumping in.

The Platform (2020)

This indie sci-fi Spanish movie didn’t make much of a splash when it was first released on Netflix in late 2019, but it became a cult hit during the worldwide COVID-19 quarantine. Don’t let its low-budget appearance fool you though, it’s a fantastically written and acted thriller that will leave you pondering its meaning for days after watching.

Virtually the entire film takes place in a vertical prison, with two prisoners paired together in each room. A lavish meal is sent down an open vertical shaft, with those at the top eating first, and those at the bottom often not eating at all. Desperation leads the prisoners to take drastic actions as they fight for survival, but if those at the top could only be convinced to cooperate there would be enough food for everyone.

Toro (2016)

Universal Pictures International

Southern Spain is known for its beautiful beaches and great weather, but this action thriller focuses on the dirty underbelly of the region. When a former con man is forced back into a life of crime to save his family from the local mafia, he comes face to face with his former boss and mentor.

What follows is a series of action-packed sequences with chase scenes, car races, and shootouts. With the beautiful scenery of Andalusia in the background, you can sit back and enjoy the show.

Perdida (2018)

This Netflix original movie comes from Argentina. It centers on a female police officer who is determined to solve the mystery of a missing person case. Fourteen years ago, a young girl (the officer’s best friend at the time) got lost in the Patagonian forests. As the police officer looks into her friend’s disappearance, she encounters resistance from several fronts and finds out her own life is in danger.

This Spanish-language crime drama has some cool twists that will keep you guessing until the end.

Honorable mentions

Here are a few more Spanish movies on Netflix that didn’t make our best-of list:

You’ve Got This – A young couple obsessed with work get sidetracked when they start taking care of a baby in this Mexican comedy movie.
I’m No Longer Here – This Mexican musical drama tells the story of a 17-year old boy who witnesses a shooting. He decides to sneak his way across the border into the US to avoid reprisals.
The Son – This is a thriller about a man who believes his wife is trying to keep him away from his own son.
The Crimes That Bind – A man is accused of raping his ex-wife in this crime drama. The man’s mother tries to solve this crime for her son but soon discovers things are not what they seem at first.
No One Will Ever Know – A mother and her young son deal with their harsh life in rural Mexico via fantasies in their minds about their ideal worlds.

That’s it for our list of the best Spanish movies on Netflix. We’ll update this post with new titles once they hit the streaming network.