Sunday, October 21, 2012

Pick Your Flick And Acquire Spanish

Every Spanish-fanatic worth his grain would agree that the slowest means of acquiring Spanish is relegating the process to textbooks and whiteboards. Spanish is a language. An alive one at that. So, live it; indulge in it! One can’t stress enough the importance of breathing life into an otherwise highly unproductive regimented style of learning Spanish as institutionalized by the classrooms. So, as stated previously already, silent input for the win here! The advocates of immersive learning all unanimously underscore the importance of Spanish cinema as an extremely effective way of absorbing authentic real-world Spanish.

Why movies?


Spanish language cinema is rich in inspiring content
Spanish language cinema is rich in inspiring content
Photo credit: Marco Antonio Torres licensed CC BY-SA 2.0
There’s no denying the fact that the easiest and most effective means of breathing life into learning Spanish is by watching tons and tons and tons of Spanish movies. In loop. Over and over again until the dialogs come to you effortlessly. Movies not only inspire a genuine cultural interest in Spanish but also stir up your motivation to nail the language as quickly as practically possible.

Now the question is, what renders cinema this effective when it comes to learning Spanish? The reasons are many and the single most important one is their entertaining nature. No points for knowing that anything that is entertaining stays with us longer. We have a very selective that tends to discard anything insignificant and, at the same time, instantly absorb anything that is weird, interesting, larger-than-life, or just plain engaging. Anything that stirs up our emotions is guaranteed it’s spot in some of the most active quarters of our mind. And movies, without doubt, qualify in all aspects. They not only entertain, but also provide the ever important context for the Spanish that we absorb subconsciously while watching them repeatedly. This context acts as the cement that binds those newly-acquired dialogs and vocabulary firmly to our memory.

Where do I begin?


Spanish language films are more diverse than you thought!
Spanish language films are more diverse than you thought!
Photo credit: Martha Silva licensed CC BY-SA 2.0
While every linguist and Spanish enthusiast I have spoken with to date has been unanimous on the role of Spanish movies in helping one acquire natural Spanish quickly, most learners are often clueless about where to begin. There are tons of flicks to choose from and then there are dozens of different Spanish dialects making the choice even more difficult. This article is an attempt to simplify this first step for Spanish learners who wish to be bewitched by the vast linguistic riches of Spanish cinema from both sides of the Atlantic.

My idea of an ideal movie for someone learning Spanish is that it should meet some very straightforward criteria to begin with. This movie should be
  • Engaging – If the story engages you, you are more likely to remember the context. This also means that you are more likely to enjoy watching the same movie for the thirty-sixth time if you find it engaging enough.
  • Powerful – If the story gives out a strong message (social, political, etc.) you are going to remember it frame-by-frame.
  • Popular – If everyone around you knows about and likes the flick, you are likely to hear about it more often which would, in turn, reinforce the story in your memory as well as drive you into a repeat watch.
  • Authentic – The single most important aspect of an eligible movie is that the cinematography and direction must reflect the real-world Hispanic lifestyle and culture as accurately as possible. This will ensure that you absorb the context more rapidly.
Keeping these caveats in mind, the following sections list out some of the most recommended films from as many as 8 countries that speak Spanish. Our suggestion would be to first decide the country whose flavor of Spanish you intend to acquire and then pick the flicks from that country to ensure you are absorbing the right dialect. This extra step will serve to maximize the benefits of watching Spanish movies in endless loops.

Argentina


Anita

Bajo Bandera

Casas De Fuego

El Asaltante

El Día Que Me Amen

El Hijo De La Novia

Fuerza Aérea Sociedad Anónima

La Niña Santa

La Mujer Sin Cabeza

La Señal

Las Manos

Las Viudas De Los Jueves

Los Siete Locos

Mal Día Para Pescar

Memoria Del Saqueo

Plata Quemada

¿Quién Dice Que Es Fácil?

Un Lugar En El Mundo

Una Estrella Y Dos Cafés

Volver

Chile


Cien Niños Esperando Un Tren

Dulce Patria

Julio Comienza En Julio

La Batalla De Chile

La Esperanza

La Nena

No Me Amenaces

Raíz De Chile

Colombia


Cóndores No Entierran Todos Los Días

La Estrategia Del Caracol

La Sombra Del Caminante

La Vendedora De Rosas

Perro Come Perro

Rodrigo D: No Futuro

Cuba


Baragua

Clandestinos

De Cierta Manera

El Otro Francisco

El Rojo Para Los Labios

Gallego

Hasta Cierto Punto

La Muerte De Un Burócrata

La Última Cena

Lejanía

Los Sobrevivientes

Mujer Transparente

Retrato De Teresa

Un Hombre De Exito

Vals De La Habana Vieja

Ecuador


Crónicas

Cuando Me Toque A Mí

¿Qué Tan Lejos?

Ratas, Ratones, Rateros

Sueños En La Mitad Del Mundo

Mexico


Amores Perros

El Callejón De Los Milagros

El Crimen Del Padre Amaro

El Laberinto Del Fauno

Japón

La Muerta En Este Jardín

Luz Silenciosa

Santa Sangre

Subida Al Cielo

Y Tu Mamá También

Nicaragua


Alsino Y El Cóndor

Bananeras

Cinema Alcázar

Con Ánimo De Lucro

De Niña A Madre

El Chogui

El Espectro De La Guerra

El Inmortal

La Insurrección

Metal Y Vidrio

Spain


Abre Los Ojos

Boca A Boca

El Crimen De Cuenca

El Pájaro De La Felicidad

El Orfanato

La Ardilla Roja

La Lengua De La Mariposas

Mar Adentro

¿Qué He Hecho Yo Para Merecer Esto?

Solo Quiero Caminar

Todo Sobre Mi Madre

Uruguay


Caños

Cariñoso

Cerro Corá

El Baño Del Papa

El Último Tren

La Espera

La Esperanza

Llamada Para Un Cartero

Matar A Todos

Paisito

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