February is the doorway to spring and for many, it’s the season of love. Therefore, we’ve decided to present you with top 5 romantic movies in Spanish. Even if you don’t support a commercial holiday such as the Valentine’s Day, we believe you’re going to find something for yourself and your media naranja.
After all, there are few things more romantic than learning how to express your love in another language.
So let’s start from the top.
TRES METROS SOBRE EL CIELO
Have you ever been about to touch the sky? That’s the feeling the movie Three Steps Above Heaven is trying to evoke, hence the title. It’s only fitting as it’s about that first, jovial love.
Based on a novel of the same name by Federico Moccia, the premise of 3MSC is a well-known story. A good girl from a wealthy family meets a bad boy and, of course, they fall in love. But what made it the most taquillera movie in Spain in 2010 and one of the most recognizable Spanish movies of the past decade?
SPANISH CINEMA IS DIFFERENT
As it’s true for any movie, Mario Casas in the lead role is definitely part of the reason. Equally good is María Valverde as Babi, his ‘Juliet.’ In addition, the movie is dynamic and often praised for its cinematographic value. There are illegal motorbike races, clashes with police, forbidden love…But there’s also tragedy and heartbreak. But psst! No spoilers. We’ll let you find that out for yourself.
We would just like to point out that Spanish cinema isn’t afraid of open or ambiguous endings. It rarely gives the public that nicely wrapped up ending with a bow on top. The saying ‘Art imitates life’ comes to our mind when it comes to Spanish cineastas. And yet, that’s precisely what we love about Spanish movies.
Moreover, we believe that’s what makes Three Steps Above Heaven stand out in the sea of good girl/bad boy stories.
Just as well, that brings us to our next movie – the sequel.
Where to watch: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV, iTunes
TENGO GANAS DE TI
After the commercial success of its predecessor, I Want You was bound for similar success. Indeed, it was the best premiere of the year when it was released in theaters on 22 June 2012.
So how is I Want You similar and how is it different?
To begin with, the sequel takes place two years after the events of the first movie. We won’t tell you why Hache spent that time in London and either way, our story begins with his comeback. As you might suspect, a lot has changed, including the characters from the original story.
Not long after his return, Hugo meets Gin, embodied perfectly by the talented Clara Lago. She’s Babi’s polar opposite in every way: impertinent, sassy, and with even more disregard for rules than Hache. As you can imagine, this leads to a lot of trouble – and banter. In fact, 3MSC and Tengo Ganas de ti, are one of the best movies to learn colloquial words and phrases in Spanish.
Another thing we really liked about Tengo Ganas de ti is the soundtrack. Have a listen yourself:
But as it always happens, past mingles with the present, stirring trouble for our protagonists. Some of the old characters return, including Hache’s first love Babi. But is that the same Babi that he met and fell in love with? How will that affect his new relationship? And more importantly, will they finally come to a resolution?
THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED CONCLUSION TO THE TRILOGY
It seems like 3MSC has fallen into the 10-year-long wait alongside many other stories. (G.R.R.Martin, we’re looking at you!) Even though the last book in the trilogy, Tres Veces Tú, does exist, it hasn’t been brought to screen yet, to the frustration of many fans.
From the looks of it, it’s not only the fans who are anxious to see this chapter closed. At the Goya award ceremony in 2021, Mario Casas expressed his wish to finish the story.
Where to watch: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV, iTunes
PALMERAS EN LA NIEVE
Palm Trees in the Snow has three things in common with our first two movies. It’s a book adaptation, it too was directed by Fernando González Molina and it stars Mario Casas.
However, it’s a very different movie, with a different tone and love story. To begin with, we are faced with two different timelines. In the present time, Clarence (Adriana Ugarte) finds a note that prompts her to dig into her uncle Killian’s (Mario Casas) past. She travels to Equatorial Guinea, where he was born. Simultaneously, we get to see Killian’s illicit love affair with a Bubi woman. To clarify, Spain used to have a colony in Equatorial Guinea and Bubi is the indigenous ethnic group.
That being said, we get to hear three other languages/dialects apart from Spanish.
- Patués – dialect between Aragonese and Catalan
- Bubi – spoken on the island Bioko, Guinea Equatorial
- Pichi – pidgin-English, criolle language spoken on Bioko
So if you’re a history buff who also loves a good love story, this movie is for you.
CRITICAL ACLAIM
On that note, the palm trees you see in the movie don’t belong to Equatorial Guinea. The movie was filmed on Las Palmas (Canary Islands) where the cocoa plantation was recreated as well.
Needless to say, the movie resulted in much praise and appreciation when it was released in 2015. The beautiful location, one of the rare recent portrayals of Spanish colonial history, and a slow-burn romance are its hallmarks.
Another thing the movie is known for is its beautiful theme song that won a Goya award for original soundtrack. It was composed by Pablo Alborán and and Lucas Vidal and how that looks and sounds like you can watch here:
Where to watch: Spanish Netflix, Disney+,Apple TV, Prime Video, iTunes, Atresplayer
EL MISMO AMOR, LA MISMA LLUVIA
Moving away from Spanish peninsula, the next movie on our list is an Argentinian classic directed by Juan José Campanella and released in 1999. If you’ve ever ventured into Argentinian cinema, then you know that Ricardo Darín features in pretty much every movie. He and Soledad Villamil make a great tandem and would continue making movies together long after. But what makes this one so special?
SLOW-BURN ROMANCE
We’ll start by saying that El Mismo Amor, La Misma Lluvia is just like the rain: you have to be in the mood for it.
The story follows a young writer Jorge and a charming waitress Laura over the course of two decades. Just like their lives, their relationship is full of ups and down. Financial crisis, professional failure, mistakes, disappointment…Through it all, their paths always somehow cross again.
Mind you, this isn’t your typical rom-com, although there’s definitely the element of humor, mostly through the dialogue. That being said, the characters are believable and the script is good. Just make sure that you have the subtitles on as the Argentinian accent can be challengining even for seasoned Hispanophiles.
All in all, this is a movie we recommend you watch on a rainy, One Day vibe kind of a day.
Where to watch: Filmin
NUESTROS AMANTES
If our previous movie was for a rainy day, then Our Lovers (2016) is for a light-hearted Friday evening. This is your typical rom-com. Although, we must say, Spanish movies always feel earthier in comparison to Hollywood.
This is true even when there’s the well-known rom-com premise. A girl meets a boy and they decide to not know any personal information about each other, such as name or phone number. And the most important rule: don’t fall in love.
Obviously, things will get complicated when their ex-partners come into picture as well. But more importantly, can they stick to their rules? The movie underlines the inherent romantic nature in people, which makes it a warm movie that many loved.
However, the reviews for it are either extremely good or extremely negative. This mostly applies to the dialogue. To some, it’s funny and different, to others it’s cringy. We’ll let you be the judge of that.
As for ourselves, we expect a bit of cheese when it comes to romantic comedy. It’s bound to be cliché and a bit over the top. There’s even the wacky best friend, an important ingredient for every rom-com.
Therefore, we recommend you let it be what it is and watch when you’re not in the mood for a serious love drama.
Where to watch: Netlix
Overall, cinema in Spanish can offer a big variety of romantic movies. We’ve seen its take on the teenage romance, two decades of adult life, love in colonial times, and a wacky rom-com story. Some of them, like Three Steps Above Heaven, have become well-known internationally and are featuring A-list actors like Mario Casas.
However, we hope that you discover some of the less-known gems from the list too and that you enjoy them. We believe that a lot of our like or dislike stems not only from the quality of the movie, but from our mood and the type of person we are.
We believe a history buff would enjoy Palm Trees in the Snow even more than someone who isn’t. In the same way, if you’re in the mood just for something light and fun, go for a romantic comedy and not a One Day type of movie. Spanish cinema has a lot to offer and there’s no doubt in our mind that you’ll enjoy it even more in the original.
LEARN SPANISH THROUGH MOVIES WITH ROMANCE
If you’re a regular on our blog, then you know we’re passionate about teaching and spreading love for Spanish language and culture. Therefore, we recognize the importance of each one of the language learning skills. We’ve written an in-depth article on how to best learn through listening, which you can check out here.
We recognize the role movies and TV shows can play in honing your listening skills. Our students always have a movie of the month accompanied by a working resource to help them learn Spanish while watching. We’ve also created video flashcards with excerpts from movies which will allow you to learn colloquial phrases and words.
We’ll be publishing the flashcards on our Instagram page so feel free to follow us for more. If you want to learn Spanish with us, come and meet us, we would love to answer all your questions!
