The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films

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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films
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For as long as cinema has been around, Latin America has produced stories and storytellers who have changed the game – both in their industry and the culture around them. Here’s our pick of the Latin-American-made movies that were truly groundbreaking, either for reasons of technique, spectacle or the cultural significance surrounding the issues they address.

By Victoria Luxford

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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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El Mariachi (1992) – Robert Rodriguez sold himself to science to make this low-fi Mexican masterpiece, taking part in medical drug testing to raise the film’s tiny USD 7,000 budget. The result was a revelation, an action spectacular that played Hollywood at its own game, combining multiple genres to create a hero with a different kind of background. It also sparked a generation of ‘homemade’ directors in the 1990s whose influence is still felt strongly today. Moreover, it proved that you didn’t need to be in the right circles to achieve your artistic dream – sometimes you just need talent and a friend who can act.

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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Relatos salvajes (Wild Tales, 2014) – Argentinian director Damián Szifron garnered worldwide attention with this dark comedy anthology, produced by Pedro Almodóvar and inspired by The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Filmed in provinces across his home country, Szifron confronts themes of revenge, debt and road rage in a series of savage and hilarious short stories. The most-watched Argentine film of all time, the work achieved cult status internationally, picking up accolades wherever it went (including an Oscar nomination) and highlighting the exciting new wave of filmmaking in the country. Szifron is currently being courted by Hollywood, developing The Six Billion Dollar Man with Mark Wahlberg.

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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Cidade de Deus (City Of God, 2002) – It’s hard to measure the impact this 4-time Oscar-nominated film has had on cinema. Brutal, disturbing and furious, the story of a world of crime contained within a suburb of Rio de Janeiro was an inspiration to audiences around the globe. Inspiring sequels and a television series, the original remains on many ‘Best of All Time Lists’, having benefited from enormous success in cinemas and on DVD. It was made with an amateur cast, and brought favela life and culture to mainstream consciousness in a way few works have done before, or since.

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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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No (2012) – The film’s trailer describes this as “the story of how Chile’s ‘Mad Men’ fought a dictator with happiness”. The comparison with the US TV show Mad Men is apt, given the same use of archived film stock – in this case, televised news reports from the ‘80s – to give the film a retro feel. Dramatising the advertising campaign that overthrew General Pinochet, the story was controversial in Chile due to the parts of history it focused on, but was lauded by many as a reflection of the very tactics that are commonplace in politics today. Whatever the view, the film has secured itself a place in cinematic history.

4/19
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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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María, llena eres de gracia (Maria Full Of Grace, 2004) – A woman’s desperate circumstances force her into drug trafficking in this important movie from the mid-2000s. Highlighting the often innocent and vulnerable pawns of Colombia’s drug trade, the film reveals a dark world in a very ordinary way, upping the stakes and making it that much more terrifying. Movies on this subject matter are nothing new, but putting the victims at the heart of the story (instead of charismatic drug barons) gives it a startling new perspective. A worldwide hit upon its release, the film introduced the world to star Catalina Sandino Moreno, who won the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear for her first-ever acting performance.

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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Amores perros (2000) – Before becoming the celebrated director of Birdman or The Revenant, Alejandro González Iñárritu began his path to greatness with the first in his “Trilogy of Death” (followed by 21 Grams and Babel). Considered by many to be one of the best movies ever made, this series of stories linked by a car crash in Mexico City is notable not just for its brilliance, but also for triggering an international interest in Mexican cinema that would launch the careers of several filmmaking greats, while launching former soap opera actor Gael García Bernal to stardom.

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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol (Black God, White Devil, 1964) – In many of the world’s film industries, movements occur that turn cinema from a simple form of entertainment into something much more important. For Brazil, that movement was Cinema Novo, rejecting the ‘Hollywood-lite’ Brazilian musicals of the ‘50s and filling the next two decades with films that focused on class inequality and socio-political issues. Black God, White Devil was one of the landmarks of that movement, and arguably the finest work of Glauber Rocha, the influential filmmaker who here asks the viewer to reject political norms to find true freedom.

7/19
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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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La vendedora de rosas (The Rose Seller, 1998) – Stories of the past and present combine in this tale of young children trying to survive amid the violence and chaos of 1990s Medellín, partially inspired by story The Little Match Girl. Part of what made the film so shocking were the parallels between the characters and the real-life circumstances of the cast members themselves, with the movie intending to bring to light the area’s problems. The film also has a tragic postscript that makes it memorable for other unfortunate reasons: many of the cast died shortly after making the film, while star Leidy Tabares was jailed for murder in 2003.

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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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La historia officiel (The Official Story, 1985) – Filmed using concealed cameras, Argentine movie legend Norma Aleandro plays a wealthy mother who begins to question the ‘official story’ behind her adopted daughter’s past. The drama is considered one of the most vital in the country’s history, portraying an agonising part of its past (particularly the ‘Dirty War’ that saw thousands disappear at the hands of a dictatorial regime). The film’s central theme of confronting the truth, no matter how painful, is one that is universally felt – and also part of what has made it such an enduring classic, setting the bar for all who came after.

9/19
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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Machuca (2004) – Cultures clash in the most heartbreaking of circumstances as we follow two young boys who meet at a prestigious school’s integration program. Gonzalo has a relatively comfortable background, while Pedro comes from poverty. The shadow of military and government unrest in Chile rips these two boys apart and gives them a glimpse into two very different worlds. A searing and affecting film, it stands as testament to the wounds left by recent history. It’s also a fine example of how cinema’s greatest power often lies in its ability to bear witness.

10/19
Culture
The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Y Tu Mamá También (And Your Mother Too, 2001) – Just a year after Amores Perros, Alfonso Cuarón returned to Mexican cinema with a striking drama. Gael García Bernal shone once again, this time opposite Diego Luna (Rogue One), as two teenagers who hit the road with a worldly older woman. Provocative but charming, it would redirect Cuarón’s career in America, eventually leading him to become the first Mexican to win Best Director with Gravity. With both of its male stars finding mainstream success as well, Y Tu Mamá También was the film that launched many a movie career.

11/19
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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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La Frontera (The Frontier, 1991) – The late great filmmaker Ricardo Larraín combines the forces of nature and politics in an off-centre story about a man named Ramiro who finds love after being exiled to a small coastal town in Chile. Each of the film’s two overarching threats – a tsunami that may destroy the town, and the regime that forced Ramiro there – becomes a metaphor for the other, underpinning a story that feels both thoughtful and glibly comic. Winning a prestigious Goya Award for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film, it’s a reminder of the talent we lost too soon; Larraín died of lymphoma in 2016.

12/19
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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Chircales (The Brickmakers, 1972) – Documentaries are at their best when they use ‘small’ subjects to highlight a much greater problem; Colombian filmmakers Marta Rodríguez and the late Jorge Silva put a family of humble brickmakers in front of their lens, showing the exploitation that has become commonplace for them and people around the country, as well as the acceptance of that exploitation by an indifferent society. Challenging ‘the way things are’ is a fine goal for any documentary, but Chircales was the genesis for a profound voice in the medium. Working with partner Silva until his death in 1987, Rodriguez continues to make impactful statements in her films to this day.

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Culture
The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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La estrategia del caracol (The Strategy Of The Snail, 1993) – This rousing tale tells the story of a group of tenants who devise an outlandish plan to get revenge on the greedy landlord who wants to kick them out. The finest work of director Sergio Cabrera, The Strategy of The Snail is held in great affection due to its gleefully eccentric tone, as well as a cast that boasts a gifted cross section of Colombian acting talent. Despite its entertainment value, the film was also commended for the way it portrayed life in Bogotá, particularly the challenges faced by those on the wrong side of the rich/poor divide.

14/19
Culture
The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Macario (1960) – Themes of life and death form the heart of this classic supernatural morality tale, drawing upon Mexican traditions surrounding mortality. After befriending Death in hopes of staving off his own demise, peasant Macario (Mexican acting veteran Ignacio López Tarso) is given a gift that becomes a mixed blessing. As well as an intriguing narrative that pokes at our own fear of The Great Beyond, the film is gorgeously shot and acted. It is also the crowning achievement of what has come to be known as the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, with Macario becoming the first film from the country to be nominated for an Academy Award.

15/19
Culture
The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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El Chacal de Nahueltoro (The Jackal of Nahueltoro, 1969) – A haunting Chilean drama that explores the psychology of a murderer, this film is based on the true story of an alcoholic man who murders a mother and her children. Much more than a simple crime reconstruction, we also see the systemic failings that led to the crime, as well as the prison rehabilitation that comes tragically too late. Asking questions that never really get answered, it opens an unsettling debate as to how society treats those it deems lesser, and the flaws in the punishments it metes out.

16/19
Culture
The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Ahí está el detalle (Here’s The Point, 1940) – Considered one of the greatest films in Mexican cinematic history, this comedy of misunderstandings launched the career of comedy star Cantinflas, a movie icon and the man once referred to as The Best Comedian Alive by none other than Charlie Chaplin. Following the farce of a homeless man who is mistaken for a wealthy woman’s long-lost brother, it’s a delightfully funny film that features a hero of cinema at the height of his career. While he would go on to great success in Mexico and Hollywood, appearing alongside English-speaking stars such as Frank Sinatra and David Niven, this is considered his finest couple of hours.

17/19
Culture
The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Nueve Reinas (9 Queens, 2000) – A slick, energetic heist movie about two con men looking to swindle a desperate wealthy man by selling him a forgery of some priceless stamps. This type of movie has been done to death, but Nueva Reina manages to freshen up a familiar formula with superbly crafted characters and plot twists that are both unexpected and satisfying. It remains the standard for movies of this genre, and if you have any doubt as to the influence of this Argentinian classic: it has been remade four times in two different countries (the US and India) since its release!

18/19
Culture
The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films.
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Tropa de Elite 2 – O Inimigo Agora é Outro (Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, 2010) – While many of the movies on this list are independent, politically minded films, we end with an all-out blockbuster that proves large-scale cinema isn’t just a preserve of the United States. Also a rare example of a sequel that’s better than its predecessor, we rejoin police hero Nascimento as he roots out corruption from within Rio de Janeiro’s justice system. A commercial hit in Brazil, the film is one of the best examples of mainstream entertainment combining with intelligent storytelling to produce a truly spectacular crime drama. #staysafe #stayathome #selfisolation

19/19
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The Top 20 Most Groundbreaking Latin American Films

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