Cinema, like every other form of artistic expression, is a mirror for the society in which it is born. Each cinematic experience offering a glimpse into the world of the Ajeno, the world of another. Take a glimpse into stories from different parts of Latin America as you make your way down the list of movies that can be found on hoopla and Kanopy.
English Title: Morgue
Setting: A morgue (duh) in Paraguay
Languages Spoken: Spanish & Guarani
As you can probably tell from the title, this is a spooky story very fitting for the spooky season—Oh it’s September? Back to school is spooky enough so we’re sticking to the original statement. Morgue is definitely a small-budget film but it gives us the gift of jump scares and psychological thrills. Watch it with your friends on a horror movie binge-watching party kind of evening.
English Title: Your Dead Ones
Setting: Countryside in Colombia
Languages Spoken: Spanish
Contrary to what the title may lead you to believe, this is not a horror flick, it’s more of a mystery. Well, political corruption is its own sort of horror, but this is more of a whodunnit- no no- it’s more of a who is going to investigate. If you are familiar with the political climate of Latin America or even if you’re not, check it out and be entertained.
English Title: The Reader
Setting: Abandoned building in Colombia
Languages Spoken: Spanish
This is an absolute roller coaster ride. Goons, kidnapping, and murder are the keywords here. And if you’re into those things in English then you’ll definitely be into them in Spanish.
English Title: Objects of Love
Setting: Rome, Italy
Languages Spoken: Spanish and Italian
Talk about a series of unfortunate events. Our main character is an immigrant in Italy and let’s just say it’s not your typical Rome-antic adventure. Real people with real stories are sprinkled in with professional actors in this movie, so if you’re into a dose of reality with your fiction then saddle up.
English Title: Monos
Setting: Remote mountain in Latin America
Languages Spoken: Spanish and English
If you know the history of war in Colombia then you will pick up on a few silent acknowledgments in Monos, but you really don’t need to know the history to feel for the child soldiers in this story. The setting and some other details are vague on purpose in order to highlight the fact that child soldiers exist all over the world. Try and find the reference to Augusto Pinochet at the end and call me in the morning. Just kidding, you can point it out to your movie-watching partners.
English Title: Midaq Alley
Country of Origin: Mexico
Setting: El Callejón de Los Milagros
Languages Spoken: Spanish
If you’re into films based on books, this one's for you. This one is based on Naguib Mahfouz’s book Midaq Alley. There’s love, there’s hope, there’s betrayal, and there’s definitely plenty of heartbreak. Oh and there’s also Salma Hayek.
English Title: Black Mexicans
Country of Origin: Mexico
Setting: Costa Chica, Oaxaca
Languages Spoken: Spanish
Did you know about the Afro-Mexican community in Oaxaca? Afro-Mexicanos are not often represented in Mexican media so La Negrada is a refreshing departure from the norm. The cast is made up of locals of the Costa Chica region and none are professional actors, consequently giving the story raw edges. You get the treat of spoken word interjected throughout the movie and you get drama. It’s a win-win.