By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken
Those of us who love Mexican cinema but spend months away from Mexico have an excellent source for fulfilling our yen for Mexican film – namely, Netflix. The films available for streaming on Netflix come and go, and differ from country to country, but there are always ample choices. For primarily English speakers the subtitles available on Netflix offer an easier experience than seeing the movie in Mexico.
Some of the best known films that have won worldwide acclaim are 100% Mexican, including geographical location, direction, casting, Spanish language, and especially creative imagination. An excellent relatively recent example is the 2018 dramatic film Roma, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Winning many international awards, Roma accurately depicts a well-known neighborhood of Mexico City in the 1970s.
Other Netflix films that we consider Mexican have Mexican directors who are internationally acclaimed but take place only partially in Mexico. One such film is the 2006 psychological thriller Babel, directed by Alejandro Gonzáles Iñarritu. In addition to Spanish, Babel includes seven other spoken languages, plus Japanese sign language. Two top-notch films, Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and The Shape of Water (2017), can only be considered Mexican by virtue of their director, Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro’s films are literally fantastic, compelling, and so rooted in an imagination shaped by his childhood in Guadalajara that we would call them Mexican even though some might argue with that classification. On the other hand, the film Gravity (2013), although also directed by Alfonso Cuarón, seems more American than Mexican.
But enough about the blockbusters. The films that we have been most enjoying on Netflix are little, low-budget glimpses into solidly Mexican characters in recognizably Mexican locations. We both liked the 2023 film Familia, directed by Rodrigo García. Filmed in the Valle de Guadalupe in Ensenada, the action takes place in a single day in the home and olive grove of the patriarch of a three-generation dispersed family. We learn that the family gets together once a month for comida, but at this gathering everyone’s life is so suddenly changing that difficult decisions must be made. The characters are complex and charming, even when they become irritated with each other. Gradually, by listening to their conversations around the table, you realize the depth and substance of each family member and their relationships. By the end of the film, as most characters leave, you know you’re going to miss them.
Marcia liked Where the Tracks End (El Ultimo Vagon, 2023, directed by Ernesto Contreras), while Jan thought it was a snooze. The film predominantly takes place in an abandoned railroad car, fitted out as a schoolhouse. It is slow-moving but charmingly develops the relationship between a child of an itinerant railroad track layer and a teacher whose whole life is dedicated to educating some of the most impoverished children in Mexico. There are both tragic and comic moments, and the film unabashedly pulls at your heart strings. The ending provides a satisfying twist.
The film Tell Me When (Dime Cuando Tú, 2020, directed by Gerardo Gatica González) is a light, feel-good movie about a young man living in Los Angeles. His grandfather leaves him a list of experiences that the grandson is urged to complete in Mexico City. Most of the film takes place in iconic areas in CDMX and focuses on his determination to complete the list, including the last item (spoiler alert!) falling in love. But don’t expect a Hollywood ending: it’s a Mexican film after all.
There are plenty of Mexican films on Netflix to keep us happily watching for many years, but confining ourselves to Netflix would mean missing other Mexican treasures that are available on other streaming apps. Most notable are two films directed by John Huston. We first saw one of them in a cultural center in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas– The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, starring Humphrey Bogart). The second is The Night of the Iguana (1964, starring Richard Burton and Eva Gardner) which in Tennessee Williams’ version takes place in Acapulco but was actually filmed in Mismaloya near Puerto Vallarta (less well known at the time). But also definitely not to be missed is an early Cuarón international blockbuster Y Tu Mamá Tambien (2001). Y Tu is superficially about a road trip from Mexico City to coastal Oaxaca but also is a turn-of-this-century exploration of the concept that gender is not binary.
If you enjoy films as we do and enjoy a bit of Mexico when you’re away, just stream one of the movies we mentioned. Happy watching.