20 essential Latino films since 2000
Hollywood still doesn’t get it.
Latinos are not a monolith. The context, details and nuances that go into telling the story of a family in Mexico City won’t be the same for the story of a family in Los Angeles, which would in turn differ for one in Miami. U.S.-born or -raised Latinos have unique life experiences, straddling the line between assimilation and pride in their heritage, which the big studios frequently fail to acknowledge. Such movies do exist, though often on the periphery. And they’re worth seeking out to help foster conversations about the intricacies of Latinidad. That’s why, as we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month, I’ve put together a list of must-watch films centered on American Latino protagonists.
Why is such a specific list necessary?
Largely untold in mass media or classrooms, the history of Latinos in the United States is long, winding and impossible to dissect in simple terms. Shaped by arbitrary borders in the aftermath of wars, colonization and waves of migration from nearly two dozen nations across the Americas, our presence is intrinsic to this country. Yet American Latinos remain mostly invisible in our collective narrative, which includes the images we consume.
We do get plenty of movies about Latino experiences, just not American ones. Every year festivals and theaters screen numerous films from Mexico and South America. Then there’s the work of the Three Amigos, the gifted Mexican directors Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo del Toro, who tell lavish stories with great universality that we can all enjoy. The same can be said of Pixar’s “Coco,” the 2017 hit set in a small Mexico town with Mexican characters. American Latinos can see themselves and their families in it because of our inherent connections, of course.
But border-crossing stories or those set in Latin America don’t fill the void created by the lack of American Latino narratives. They don’t reflect the lives of, say, Chicanos in California, Tejanos in rural Texas or Nuyoricans in the Bronx, New York — specific identities that have faced oppression in the United States. Instead, the entertainment industry desperately tries to fit all Latinos under one label, devoid of nuance, often erasing Afro Latinos and Indigenous peoples.
As a Latino film critic in a field that is largely white, I put this list together with the goal of presenting a mosaic of realities. I sought out films that represented the American Latino experience with complexity rather than stereotypes, that provided a deeper understanding. The vast majority of these choices had a prominent festival presence and received great critical reception. Yes, it’s still rare to see such stories at major film festivals, and so titles that managed that feat stood out.
‘Mucho Mucho Amor’ (2020)
First-person accounts explore the legacy of Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado.
This documentary features interviews with American Latinos who found a connection to their heritage in Mercado’s ubiquitous presence on Spanish-language television for several decades; at his peak, he had a viewership of more than 120 million. “As U.S. Latinos we are often considered too ‘foreign’ to be American and too American to be truly Latino,” directors Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch said. “Walter managed to be a cultural bridge by entrancing our Spanishspeaking abuelitas (grandmothers) with words of inspiration while mesmerizing English-dominant millennials with a bold, unapologetic image that defied notions of gender and sexuality.” (Netflix)
‘The Infiltrators’ (2020)
Blending documentary footage with scripted reenactments, this thriller follows undocumented youths risking their safety to infiltrate an ICE detention center to stop deportations.
Co-directors Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra said, “There is something very American about characters who break the letter of the law as they pursue a higher moral code.” The directors call their film the “‘Ocean’s 11’ of immigration,” and their stars’ heroic quest is at once exhilarating and heart-rending. (Kanopy, Google Play or Vudu)
‘The Sentence’ (2018)
After his sister receives a harsh sentence and is ripped apart from her children, Rudy Valdez captured the ordeal in a film documenting how the justice system failed a Mexican American family.
Valdez, director: “I wanted to humanize us. People who look like me can be heroes in our own stories, the authors of our own narratives. We are a part of the fabric of this country. People who look like me can be emblematic of what it means to be American.” (HBO Max)
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ (2018)
An Afro-Latino superhero, teenager Miles Morales gains superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider and discovers that there are others like him across multiple realities.
Luna Lauren Vélez, star: “I asked (the filmmakers) if they would do a screening in Puerto Rico, and they did. It was just absolutely amazing to see these kids’ faces when they saw themselves represented in this way, not only themselves, but to see their family, to see their relevance. ... The movie was a bridge. That was one of the most significant moments of my career.” (Netflix)
‘We the Animals’ (2018)
Adapted from Justin Torres’ bestselling novel, this drama follows a chaotic, bicultural household.
Raúl Castillo: “If I can highlight one theme in ‘We the Animals’ that, to me, embodies Latinos in this country, it would have to be the story of the resilience of the human spirit. We are a resilient people, and that shows itself in the family of this film ... Justin Torres gave us a great gift with his story about a young brown queer boy’s coming-of-age.” (Netflix)
‘Dolores’ (2017)
Portrait of activist Dolores Huerta explores her fight for racial, gender and labor justice.
While assembling material, director Peter Bratt came across an old cassette tape of Huerta. On the tape, Huerta said that as a young girl she was proud to be an American. ... But as she watched Black and brown people killed for demanding their civil rights, she went on to say, she had a devastating realization that in her birthplace, she would always be perceived as a guest or a threat. (Amazon, Google Play, iTunes or Vudu)
‘Memories of a Penitent Heart’ (2016)
Cecilia Aldarondo grapples with the complexity of Puerto Rican identity as she traces the life of her late uncle, a gay man caught between his religious upbringing and his romantic partner.
Cecilia Aldarondo, director: “My uncle’s story is a Puerto Rican story that is inflected by American colonialist practices. The first time I ever heard my uncle speak in English was when I was making the film and I found a recording of him. I was so shocked because he had lived his whole life in Puerto Rico, and yet he spoke perfect English. There was a kind of convergence of different identities intersecting.” (Amazon Prime)
‘Southwest of Salem’ (2016)
Accused of heinous acts, four Latina lesbians fight to prove their innocence.
Deborah S. Esquenazi, director: “The tale of American justice is something that we know is constantly demoralizing people of color, but I also think redemption is part of the American narrative. ... Now what is worth celebrating, too, is that by the time they were fighting for exoneration, the culture had changed and people were champing at the bit to help them. There’s something extraordinary about that flip.” (Kanopy, the Roku Channel or Tubi)
‘Cesar’s Last Fast’ (2014)
This documentary humanizes labor leader Cesar Chavez as it dramatically chronicles his selfless and life-threatening protest against the use of pesticides on farmworkers.
Richard Ray Perez, director: “I inherited a cache of dramatic footage of a 36-day fast Chavez undertook in 1988. My childhood experience joining the grape boycott, later learning that my father had been a migrant farmworker for decades, and the power of the footage I inherited made it clear that I had to make this documentary.” (iTunes)
‘Mosquita y Mari’ (2012)
Two 15-year-old Chicanas grapple with their sexual and cultural identities.
Aurora Guerrero, director: “My goal was to paint a complex portrait of two Chicanas who struggle to negotiate their parents’ dreams for them, rooted in the idea of the American dream, and their own experiences with growing up Brown and queer in this country.” (Kanopy, Amazon or iTunes)
‘Gun Hill Road’ (2011)
A transgender teenager clashes with her estranged and traditionally macho father.
Harmony Santana: “The mental, spiritual and physical changes a transgender person undergoes during their lifetime is something only another transgender person can fully understand, so when you are able to see people who look like you and share those similar experiences in a film, there is something within you that gains hope and feels less lonely in your experience.” (Tubi, Amazon, Google Play or Vudu)
‘La Mission’ (2010)
A stubborn father struggles to find common ground with his gay son.
Benjamin Bratt, star: “In the film, we celebrate ... history with the recognition of our Indigenous roots, from the Aztec dancers and public murals to the ceremonies and spiritual iconography that help define who we are. Added to that, the Chicano car culture originated as a uniquely American phenomenon.” (Vudu, Amazon or Google Play)
‘Don’t Let Me Drown.’ (2009)
In post-9/11 New York, a Mexican American young man falls in love as his father works in the city’s recovery efforts.
Cruz Angeles, director: “The film is not just a love story in a time of grief and uncertainty in the midst of an American tragedy where Latinx people also lost lives, but also shows a new generation, the Latinx millennials, realizing that they must be bolder to be recognized.” (Amazon)
‘Quinceañera’ (2006)
About to turn 15, a Mexican American teenager finds her life upended when she becomes pregnant.
Emily Rios, star: “I think a lot of us were grateful that we were showcasing American-born Latinos as just people while tying in our culture and traditions. But really, we were just telling a story about a complicated family. Our heritage was almost incidental, yet valued because of the lack of representation in the media at that time.” (Amazon, Google Play, iTunes or Vudu)
A teen leads the 1968 East Los Angeles school walkouts to demand better treatment for Chicano students.
Moctesuma Esparza, producer: “‘Walkout’ is one of the very few films that documents the Chicano civil rights movement, which was pivotal in the advancement of rights for Latinos in the United
States. I chose to be a filmmaker in pursuit of social justice, and I had been seeking to get this movie made for more than 20 years until I finally got
HBO to step up. To this day there are almost no American Latino movie stars who can (get executives to) greenlight a Hollywood theatrical movie.” (HBO Max or Vudu)
‘Raising Victor Vargas’ (2003)
Complicated family dynamics and a new love interest shape a confident teenager of Dominican descent in a slice-of-life narrative.
Victor Rasuk, star:
“What makes it so special is that you rarely see an American story where the leads are all Hispanic. And yet people from any ethnic background can find it relatable, as it hits on important universal themes such as family and love.” (Amazon Prime)
‘Real Women Have Curves’ (2002)
A Mexican American teenage girl rebels against body shaming and sexism in a coming-of-age story based on Josefina López’s play.
America Ferrera, star: “It really resonated because it challenged so many cultural norms about what the standards of beauty are and also the cultural pressures and expectations for young women.” (HBO Max)
‘Spy Kids’ (2001)
The Cortez siblings become precocious spies to rescue their kidnapped parents and save the world from impending doom.
Robert Rodriguez, director: “The studio said, ‘This is a terrific story, but why risk appealing only to a smaller audience by making the family Hispanic? Why don’t you just make them American?’ I said, ‘They are American, in fact they’re all based and named after my family, and even my Uncle Gregorio actually is a special agent in the
FBI.’ ... I finally argued, ‘You don’t have to be British to enjoy James Bond. The more specific you make the characters, the more universal they become.’ Somehow that convinced them, and the ripple effects of sticking to that decision can still be felt today.” (Amazon Prime)
‘Tortilla Soup’ (2001)
Food brings together a loving but strict chef and his three daughters in this portrait of a middle-class Latino family.
Héctor Elizondo, star: “Of all the movies I’ve done in 54 years, this was one of the sweetest. It depicted a Latino family without victimization or simpleminded determinism. It didn’t perpetuate any stereotypes. ... I made ‘Tortilla Soup’ because it was an empowering movie about love. And who’s going to argue with a movie about food, romance and family?” (Amazon Prime or Netflix)
‘Girlfight’ (2000)
Finding an outlet for her frustrations inside the boxing ring, Diana Guzman, an unruly teenage girl, defies gender conventions.
Michelle Rodriguez, star: “Diana Guzman was definitely fighting against the machismo of Latino culture, but when you step outside all the boundaries of the cultural aspects, the story is about what women around the entire planet are feeling collectively. And that’s when you start speaking the universal language that makes the movies that come out of Hollywood so powerful.” (Amazon,
Google Play, iTunes or
Vudu)