The 15 Best Spanish Films of All Time

Surreal fantasies, gritty post-war dramas and stylish modern thrillers all compete for a spot at the top of this list. Cast your vote!

1

All About My Mother

Almodóvar's Oscar-winning 1999 drama exploring identity, motherhood, and loss among a vibrant cast of women.

1000pts

2

Pan's Labyrinth

Guillermo del Toro's 2006 dark fantasy weaving a girl's imagination into the brutal aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

696pts

3

Volver

Pedro Almodóvar's 2006 drama starring Penélope Cruz as a woman confronting family secrets and ghosts of the past.

482pts

4

Talk to Her

Almodóvar's acclaimed 2002 drama about two men whose lives intertwine while caring for comatose women they love.

375pts

5

The Orphanage

J.A. Bayona's atmospheric 2007 gothic ghost story about a mother searching for her missing son.

375pts

6

Cria Cuervos

Carlos Saura's haunting 1976 drama about a young girl's inner world growing up under Franco's Spain.

375pts

7

Thesis

Amenábar's tense 1996 debut thriller about a film student who uncovers a real snuff film.

375pts

8

Belle Epoque

Fernando Trueba's Oscar-winning 1992 romantic comedy set in the Spain of the 1930s.

225pts

9

Marshland

Alberto Rodríguez's gripping 2014 crime thriller following two detectives investigating murders in 1980s rural Spain.

225pts

10

Blancanieves

Pablo Berger's inventive 2012 silent, black-and-white retelling of Snow White set in 1920s Andalusia.

225pts

11

Julieta

Almodóvar's 2016 drama tracing a mother's decades-long estrangement from her daughter.

1pts

12

The Skin I Live In

Almodóvar's twisted 2011 psychological thriller starring Antonio Banderas as a surgeon obsessed with revenge.

1pts

13

Open Your Eyes

Amenábar's surreal 1997 sci-fi thriller about identity and reality, later remade as Vanilla Sky.

1pts

14

The Spirit of the Beehive

Víctor Erice's haunting 1973 drama about a young girl's imagination in post-Civil War rural Spain.

1pts

15

The Sea Inside

Alejandro Amenábar's 2004 drama starring Javier Bardem as a quadriplegic man fighting for the right to die.

1pts