2025 continues to present new notable Spanish language productions. Here are some current ones that I enjoyed enough to recommend as well as a few more from the past few years.
VIX/YOUTUBE: LAS ESTRELLAS CHANNEL
Sólo para mujeres (Only for Women) is a documentary (Episode one: "Los pantalones de quitarse los pantalones" free onYouTube: Las Estrellas Channel/ remaining three episodes on VIX. ) Episode one is worth seeing on its own.
Sólo para mujeres is an in depth examination of the founding and creation of the Mexican male strip show Sólo para mujeres by Alexis Ayala and Sergio Mayer back in 1998. You will be surprised to see who some of the performers were including Jorge Salinas. When I saw the ladies in the telenovela "La fea más bella" (2005) go to see "Sólo para mujeres" in the novela and Sergio Mayer showed up as a dancer (he played Luigi the art director in LFMB), I had no idea that "Sólo para mujeres" was a real-life phenomenon of its own.
NETFLIX
Down the Rabbit Hole
What an odd but very entertaining movie starring the Lincoln Lawyer/Pedro Páramo actor Manuel García Rulfo as a Mexican drug lord. It is based on the novel "Fiesta en la madriguera" by Mexican novelist Juan Pablo Villalobos. It is the story of the young son of a very wealthy drug king pin. He lives in pure opulence provided by his father's illegal and violent profession. Neither he nor his father knows where that will lead them.
The Eternaut (El Eternauta)
This is an interesting Argentinian six episode apocalyptic science fiction series. After a toxic snowfall, survivors have to battle against an alien invasion. There are enough plot twists to keep things moving. According to the producer, there will be a second and final season. It is based on a graphic novel from the late 1950's but takes place in current times.
Welcome to the Family
Erica Buenfil and Marimar Vega star in this Mexican eight episode slap-stick comedy. A patriarch's death fuels a fight between his two "families" to get what they think they are entitled to. Having only seen Erika Buenfil in dramas, it was wonderful seeing how well she also does comedy. BTW, Marimar Vega sounds a lot like her sister Zuria Vega. There are lots of laughs in this one.
VIX
Consuelo
In this Mexican comedy/drama series, Cassandra Sánchez Navarro (El extraño retorno de Diana Salazar) stars as a 1950's housewife who is abandoned by her husband. She finds a way to make ends meet by selling vibrators to her rather innocent friends and neighbors. There are 10 episodes with plenty of laughs. Season one ends on a cliffhanger but luckily there will be a second season.
LeBaron, Muerte en la tierra prometida (Le Baron, Death in in the Promised Land)
In excellent true crime reporting fashion, this four episode documentary examines the 2019 massacre of nine women and children who were members of LeBaron fundamentalist Mormon sect in Sonora, Mexico. It covers the incident, investigation and conclusions as to who the perpetrators most likely were.
FROM THE RECENT PAST
NETFLIX
Tin y Tina
Spain is the scene of this 2023 horror film in which a loving couple adopts a set of orphaned twins from a convent. They do not know that the twins come with a problem: their religiosity. This is an excellent choice if you are looking for a movie beyond the usual horror formulas.
High Seas (Alta mar)
This 2019 Spanish mystery series has three seasons for a total of 22 episodes. It is the tale of two sisters sailing from Spain to Brazil in the late 1940's. The mysteries begin even before the ship sets sail and the sisters soon are investigating odd happenings on board as well as murders!
VIX
El bienamado
Jesús Ochoa has the title role as Odorico Cienfuegos in this 2017 novela which has plenty of humor to balance out the inevitable drama. It is the story of a crooked politician who wins the mayoral race by promising to establish a cemetery in his town so that people do not have to be carted off to be buried elsewhere. At the same time, he is juggling affairs with three sisters and that is just the start. There are so many familiar faces in this one that I will not even try to decide which ones to list. It has 97 episodes and is free on VIX.
Jarifa, thank you for sharing your recommendations!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Family caught my eye. Erica Buenfil is one of my favorites. She is so talented; I would love to see her in a comedic role. Zuria Vega is an excellent actress; although I can't recall seeing Marimar in anything, it would make sense talent runs in the familly. :)
Consuelo looks fun. I've liked Cassandra Sánchez Navarro since I saw her in La bella y las bestias. I can't even remember the last comedy I saw - they are so rare these days!
Diana
Jarifa, thank you for this wonderful list! Many tales to look forward to!!!
ReplyDeleteBabachita
Diana and Babchita, I guess I am still surprised how many Spanish language productions are so readily available. Not like twenty years ago.
ReplyDeleteJarifa, my guess is the increase is attributed to the rise in streaming services and reissue of old content. It seems each service wants their own exclusive content. ViX tends to have different shows than Telemundo or Canela ( the free apps I have discovered to date). I don't have Netflix or Prime so those suggestions don't work for me, but perhaps in the future they will appear on the apps I do have.
ReplyDeleteKat, I agree and it is so refreshing being able to see new content as well as track down many favorites from the past.
ReplyDelete