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.

778pts

3

Volver

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

623pts

4

Talk to Her

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

545pts

5

The Orphanage

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

545pts

6

Cria Cuervos

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

545pts

7

Thesis

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

545pts

8

Belle Epoque

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

436pts

9

Blancanieves

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

436pts

10

Marshland

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

436pts

11

The Skin I Live In

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

272pts

12

Open Your Eyes

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

272pts

13

The Spirit of the Beehive

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

272pts

14

Julieta

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

272pts

15

The Sea Inside

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

0pts