If you’ve recently moved to Spain, then it’s possible you might be finding it quite difficult to adapt to a different culture. This isn’t anything to be alarmed at. After all, culture shock is a super well-known phenomenon, which has been discussed in length in many places, including over at Investopedia.
One thing that you might be tempted to do to alleviate this feeling is to dive into as much culture from your homeland as possible. After all, all those reliable TV shows and films that you know you love, would feel like a comforting hug.
Instead, you should actually try to do the opposite, and revel in experiencing as much culture from your new home country and broaden your horizons. This will allow you to acclimatise to your surroundings substantially faster. Plus, by watching Spanish movies, it will even speed up your learning of the language, as by reading the English subtitles, it will give you a quicker understanding of the words being spoken.
There’s no need to spend time worrying about which Spanish films you should watch though, as we’re here to serve you up with some absolute classics to get stuck into. You’ll be feeling like a local in no time.
La Gran Familia Espanola
Spain, just like the U.K., is a nation filled with sports lovers, and the one sport that reigns supreme is exactly the same as well. Which means that if you’re a massive football fan, you’ll find it no problem to easily slot into following one of Spain’s top teams.
The giants of La Liga, which is their equivalent of the Premier League, are Real Madrid and Barcelona, who we’ve reported on many times here at The Leader.
La Gran Familia Espanola, which has the English title of Family United, is a 2013 Spanish film that perfectly encapsulates this passion for football. Written and directed by Daniel Sanchez Arevalo, the plot revolves around five football mad brothers reuniting at a wedding held at their family estate.
The only problem is, that the wedding takes place on the same day that Spain have reached their first ever World Cup final. It’s a real heartfelt comedy, that will leave you feeling like a winner.
Intacto
This 2001 film is for everyone out there who enjoys being exhilarated from the beginning of a movie, all the way to the end. Intacto is a Spanish thriller that was co-written and directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and it was revered critically, winning the director a couple of Goya Awards. These awards are commonly referred to as the Spanish version of the Oscars, so it garnered Fresnadillo with a lot of attention.
Intacto, which translated means intact, is a riveting film all about luck, and how far people are willing to go to gain more of it. It has magical realism elements that involve one main character being able to steal others’ luck just by touching them.
He is employed at a massive underground European casino, where he uses his powers to make sure the house never actually loses. He then falls out with his employer, resulting in his magical luck being taken away from him, which results in a gripping battle as he fights to try and reclaim it.
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Ocho Apellidos Vascos
Emilio Martínez-Lázaro is a Spanish director who consistently serves up films that seem to warm his nation’s heart. A good way to think of him is as the Spanish Richard Curtis. This 2014 movie of his, Ocho Apellidos Vascos, actually became the second highest-grossing film ever in Spain, just behind blockbuster Avatar.
The English title for the film is Spanish Affair, which gives you a good idea of what the plot revolves around. It’s a love story yes, but more a tale of a clash of cultures, as it features a relationship between someone from southern Spain, and someone from the Basque northern region. It’s a hilarious insight into the subtle differences between the different regions of the country.
CAPTION: These Spanish films illuminate the culture of the country