Nuevo Cine Mexicano
Starting in the 1990s, the Nuevo Cine Mexicano (New Mexican Cinema) movement revitalized Mexico’s stagnating film industry. With figures like Guillermo del Toro and Carlos Reygadas leading the way, Nuevo Cine Mexicano films often employ magical realism, nonlinear narratives, and arthouse techniques to explore socio-economic divisions, identity, and the legacy of Spanish colonization in Mexican society.
I'm No Longer Here
(Ya no estoy aqui)
A teenage immigrant struggles with the death of his brother and feelings of isolation and loneliness in his new surroundings.
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- Mexico, United States • 2019
- Director Fernando Frias
- Cast Juan Daniel Garcia Treviño, Bianca Coral Puernte Valenzuela, Xueming Angelina Chen, Luis Leonardo Zapata, Yesica Avigail Silvia Rios
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
The Chambermaid
(La Camarista)
A chambermaid at a luxurious Mexico City hotel confronts the monotony of long workdays with quiet examinations of forgotten belongings.
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- Mexico • 2019
- Director Lila Avilés
- Cast Gabriela Cartol, Teresa Sánchez, Agustina Quinci
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Museo
Based on the largest heist in Mexico's history.
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- Mexico • 2018
- Director Alonso Ruizpalacios
- Cast Gael García Bernal, Leonardo Ortizgris, Alfredo Castro, Lisa Owen, Leticia Brédice, Ilse Salas
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Roma
A meditative portrait of a domestic worker's journey through adversity in turbulent 1970s Mexico City.
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- Mexico, United States • 2018
- Director Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, Carlos Peralta, Marco Graf, Daniela Demesa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Güeros
Being young and not being a revolutionary is a contradiction.
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- Mexico • 2015
- Director Alonso Ruizpalacios
- Cast Tenoch Huerta, Leonardo Ortizgris, Sebastián Aguirre, Ilse Salas, Sophie Alexander-Katz
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Pluto TV, Kanopy
The Night Watchman
(El Velador)
Follow the man who watches over the extravagant mausoleums of some of Mexico’s most notorious Drug Lords.
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- Mexico • 2011
- Director Natalia Almada
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID, Tubi TV, Runtime
Leap Year
(Año bisiesto)
A woman tries to forget her past through sex with strangers, but secrets rarely stay that way.
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- Mexico • 2010
- Director Michael Rowe
- Cast Mónica del Carmen, Armando Hernández, José Juan Meraz, Gustavo Sánchez Parra
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Tubi TV, VUDU Free
Presumed Guilty
(Presunto Culpable)
Two young Mexican attorneys attempt to exonerate a man, but end up exposing a broken judicial system.
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- Mexico • 2008
- Director Roberto Hernández, Geoffrey Smith
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID
Pan's Labyrinth
(El laberinto del fauno)
What happens when make-believe believes it's real?
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- Mexico, Spain • 2006
- Director Guillermo del Toro
- Cast Ivana Baquero, Maribel Verdú, Sergi López, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, War
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Y Tu Mamá También
(Y tu mamá también)
Two teenage boys and an older woman embark on a road trip and learn about life — and each other.
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- Mexico • 2001
- Director Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Diana Bracho, Verónica Langer, María Aura
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Hulu
Amores Perros
(Amores perros)
Love. Betrayal. Death.
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- Mexico • 2000
- Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
- Cast Gael García Bernal, Vanessa Bauche, Goya Toledo, Alvaro Guerrero, Emilio Echevarría, Jorge Salinas
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, Freevee, Hoopla
Midaq Alley
(El Callejón de los Milagros)
Three diverse perspectives from a group of men and women who cross paths in Mexico City.
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- Mexico • 1995
- Director Jorge Fons
- Cast Ernesto Gómez Cruz, María Rojo, Salma Hayek, Bruno Bichir, Delia Casanova, Margarita Sanz
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, VIX , Freevee, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Cronos
The more he uses the device, the younger he becomes...but nothing comes without a price.
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- Mexico • 1993
- Director Guillermo del Toro
- Cast Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook, Margarita Isabel, Tamara Shanath, Mario Iván Martínez
- Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Like Water for Chocolate
(Como agua para chocolate)
In Tita's kitchen, ordinary spices become a recipe for passion.
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- Mexico • 1992
- Director Alfonso Aráu
- Cast Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos, Regina Torné, Ada Carrasco, Mario Iván Martínez, Claudette Maillé
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, Hoopla