Plot: A newly-ordained priest, Padre Amaro, arrives in Los Reyes, a small town in the fictional state of Aldama, to start his life serving the church. Young Amaro soon becomes infatuated with the beautiful Amelia a local sixteen-year-old girl, and politics and sexual passions threaten to corrupt him.

Why See It: When it was released El Crimen del Padre Amaro caused a controversy on the part of Roman Catholic groups in Mexico who tried to stop the film from being screened. They failed, and the film became the biggest box office draw ever in the country, beating previous record holder, Sexo, pudor y lágrimas.

Cast: Gael García Bernal, Ana Claudia Talancon

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: Diego, a cultivated, homosexual and skeptical young man, falls in love with a young heterosexual communist full of prejudices and doctrinary ideas. First come rejection and suspicion, but also fascination. Fresa y chocolate is the story of a great friendship, that is, a great love between two men, which overcomes incomprehension and intolerance. Written by {oscar.esteban@p4.virtual.encomix.com}

Why See It: This Academy Award nominated film shocked the international community when it was released. Roger Ebert said “Strawberry and Chocolate is not a movie about the seduction of a body, but about the seduction of a mind. It is more interested in politics than sex — unless you count sexual politics, since to be homosexual in Cuba is to make an anti-authoritarian statement whether you intend it or not.”

Cast: Jorge Perugorría, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra

Plot: Three interconnected stories about the different strata of life in Mexico City all resolve with a fatal car accident. Octavio is trying to raise enough money to run away with his sister-in-law, and decides to enter his dog Cofi into the world of dogfighting. After a dogfight goes bad, Octavio flees in his car, running a red light and causing the accident. Daniel and Valeria’s new-found bliss is prematurely ended when she loses her leg in the accident. El Chivo is a homeless man who cares for stray dogs and is there to witness the collision. Written by Anonymous

Why See It: Hands down one of the most realistic movies about living in a poor neighborhood in Mexico City.

Cast: Gael García Bernal, Emilio Echevarría, Goya Toledo

Plot: In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she’s a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again. Written by Tim

Why See It: The highest grossing Spanish language movie of all times was #1 on Roger Ebert’s list of Top Ten Films of 2006.

Cast: Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones