Plot:It is 1939, the end of three years of bloody civil war in Spain, and General Franco’s right-wing Nationalists are poised to defeat the left-wing Republican forces. A ten-year-old boy named Carlos, the son of a fallen Republican war hero, is left by his tutor in an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. The orphanage is run by a curt but considerate headmistress named Carmen and a kindly Professor Casares, both of whom are sympathetic to the doomed Republican cause. Despite their concern for him, and his gradual triumph over the usual schoolhouse bully, Carlos never feels completely comfortable in his new environment. First of all, there was that initial encounter with the orphanage’s nasty caretaker, Jacinto, who reacts even more violently when anyone is caught looking around a particular storage room the one with the deep well. Second, and more inexplicable, is the presence of a ghost, one of the former occupants of the orphanage named Santi. Not long after Carlos’ arrival, Santi latches onto Carlos, badgering him incessantly at night and gloomily intoning, “Many of you will die.” As if that wasn’t enough to keep the orphanage’s occupants in an unrelenting state of terror, there’s the un-exploded bomb that dominates the orphanage’s courtyard, still ticking away; With the orphanage left defenseless by its isolation, and the swift progression of Franco’s troops, the ghost’s prediction seems depressingly accurate. Nevertheless, with every step of the plot, it becomes apparent that the ghost’s predictions as to who (or what) will die, the real source of danger and even the definition of death itself may be more ambiguous than first thought. – plot from imdb.com

Plot: The gorgeous Margot supports her aged father by seducing men on trains, slipping them a Mickey Finn (a beso de sueño) and robbing them of money and jewelry. One night her victim is a currency smuggler taking 100 million pesetas out of Spain. He’s being watched by a cop and by a burned-out alcoholic, Salvatierra, who does occasional jobs for a corrupt banker; they are quickly on Margot’s trail. The cop suspects Salvatierra of working with Margot, but Salvatierra has his own agenda. He becomes Margot’s protector; is it for his own good or for hers as well? And what are these feelings that develop between the two of them? Where will the money end up? – plot from imdb.com

Plot: Harry Caine is a blind writer who shares his life with his agent Judit and her adult son Diego. Slowly, events in the present begin to bring back memories of the past. He hears that millionaire Ernesto Martel has died; a young film-maker, Ray X, appears and turns out to be Martel’s son, Ernesto Martel Junior. Diego is hospitalized after an accidental drug overdose in a Madrid nightclub. Harry collects Diego from the hospital and looks after him to avoid worrying his mother. Part of the main storyline is told in flashback as Harry narrates a tragic tale of fate, jealousy, abuse of power, betrayal and guilt.

Why See It: This 2009 film by Pedro Almodóvar is set in the 1990s and 2008. The film centers on a four-way tale of dangerous love, and was shot in the style of a hard-boiled 1950s American film noir.

Cast: Penélope Cruz, Lluís Homar, Blanca Portillo, Rubén Ochandiano

Plot: An adventure drama that tells the story of Santiago, a 22-year old from Lima. Following his father’s suicide, haunted by his inner daemons and hatred for the world in general, Santiago decides to escape the crude Lima winter to take refuge in Mancora, a beach to the north of Peru where it is always summer.

Why See It: A fun film that originally premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival. Not too serious, lots of beautiful people, and, of course, beautiful Spanish.

Cast: Jason Day, Elsa Pataky

Plot: Habana Blues is a 2005 Spanish and Cuban film by Benito Zambrano, which tells the story of two young musicians in Cuba. The film revolves around their music and contains criticism of problems in Cuba such as poverty, art versus commerce, nationalism versus globalism, and communism versus capitalism.

Why See It: A rich look at the vibrant nightlife and music that make Havana’s heart beat, as well as a realistic look at the problems that Cubans face everyday.

Cast: Alberto Yoel, Roberto Sanmartín, Yailene Sierra

Plot: In Spain, the former sailor Ramón Sampedro has been quadriplegic for twenty-eight years and is fighting in court for his right of practicing euthanasia through an association that defends the freedom of choice and leaded by his friend Gené. Ramón is introduced to the lawyer that is defending his cause, Julia, who has a degenerative fatal disease; and meets Rosa, a lonely worker that has been abused by men. Their relationship changes the behavior and viewpoint of life of Rosa and Julia. Written by Claudio Carvalho

Why See It: The Sea Inside won the 2004 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, the 2004 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and 14 Goya Awards including awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

Cast: Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas

Plot: A spoof of contemporary Spanish movies, including Volver, El Laberinto del Fauno, Los Otros, and others.

Cast: Alexandra Jiménez, Sílvia Abril, Carlos Areces

Plot: Raimunda lives in Madrid with her daughter Paula and her husband Paco, who is always drunk. Her sister, Sole, is separated and works as a hairstylist. The two sisters lost their parents in a fire in La Mancha, their birth village, years ago. Their aunt, Paula, still lives in the village and continues to speak about her sister Irene, mother of the two sisters, as if she were still alive. When the old aunt dies the situation changes and the past returns(volver) in a twist of mystery and suspense. Written by 1felco

Why See It: Pedro Almodóvar’s best movie to date is a fascinating look at death, and the rich culture that surrounds it in northern Spain.

Cast: Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas, Antonio de la Torre

Plot: After a chance encounter at a theater, two men, Benigno and Marco, meet at a private clinic where Benigno works. Lydia, Marco’s girlfriend and a bullfighter by profession, has been gored and is in a coma. It so happens that Benigno is looking after another woman in a coma, Alicia, a young ballet student. The lives of the four characters will flow in all directions, past, present and future, dragging all of them towards an unsuspected destiny. Written by Anonymous

Why See It: A fascinating look at the difficulty of communication between the sexes, loneliness and intimacy, secrets and infidelity, and the persistence of love beyond loss. In 2005, Time magazine film critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel included Talk to Her in their list of the All-TIME 100 Greatest Movies.

Cast: Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Rosario Flores

Plot: A single mother in Madrid sees her only son die on his 17th birthday as he runs to seek an actress’s autograph. She goes to Barcelona to find the lad’s father, a transvestite named Lola who does not know he has a child. First she finds her friend, Agrado, a wild yet caring transvestite; through him she meets Rosa, a young nun bound for El Salvador, but instead finds out she is pregnant by Lola. Manuela becomes the personal assistant of Huma Rojo, the actress her son admired, by helping Huma manage Nina, the co-star and Huma’s lover. However, Agrado soon takes over when Manuela must care for Hermana Rosa’s risky pregnancy. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Why See It: Roger Ebert observed, “You don’t know where to position yourself while you’re watching a film like All About My Mother, and that’s part of the appeal: Do you take it seriously, like the characters do, or do you notice the bright colors and flashy art decoration, the cheerful homages to Tennessee Williams and All About Eve, and see it as a parody?

Cast: Penélope Cruz, Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes

Plot: In 1965, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara resigns from his Cuban government posts to secretly make his latest attempt to spread the revolution in Bolivia. After arriving in La Paz, Bolivia late in 1966, by 1967, Che with several Cuban volunteers, have raised a small guerrilla army to take on the militarist Bolivian movement. However, Che must face grim realities about his few troops and supplies, his failing health, and a local population who largely does not share his idealistic aspirations. As the US supported Bolivian army prepares to defeat him, Che and his beleaguered force struggle against the increasingly hopeless odds. Written by Kenneth Chisholm

Why See It: A fascinating look into the last few months of the life of Ernesto “Che” Guevera, one of the most emblematic figures of all time.

Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir, Joaquim de Almeida

Plot: The Argentine, begins as Che and a band of Cuban exiles (led by Fidel Castro) reach the Cuban shore from Mexico in 1956. Within two years, they mobilized popular support and an army and toppled the U.S.-friendly regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista. Written by anonymous

Why See It: Follows the story line of one of the most famous revolutionaries of all time, as he leads his forces to Santa Clara, Cuba and opening up the roads to Havana, and effectively winning the revolution.

Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir