The 22 best of contemporary Mexican cinema in 2021 & 2020 (Netflix, Prime, Hulu & Cinema List)
List of the latest Mexican movies in 2021 and the best Mexican movies of 2020 & the 2010's. Top Mexican movies to watch on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+ & other Streaming services, out on DVD/Blu-ray or in cinema's right now.
New Mexican movies in 2021 in Cinema & on VOD
Top movies up for release in 2021 in cinema and on VOD
DIRECTOR: Sandra Solares CAST: Tony Dalton, Alejandra Barros &
Amanda was under the assumption that her life was absolutely perfect for being married to the most wonderful man. But that vision of the perfect man is shattered when she discovers her husband is having an affair. She could confront him but decide to take an unlikely route by seeking out her husband’s lover. Together, the two women attempt to divulge just what led to this sloppy love triangle in this romantic drama written and directed by Sandra Solares. Read more Watch the trailer of Ni tuyo, Ni mía Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates
DIRECTOR: Gerardo Gatica CAST: Verónica Castro, Jesús Zavala & Héctor Bonilla
Will is a Mexican-American who has been meaning to get around to learning more about his heritage and family roots. He finds that a good time to do so would be after the tragic passing of his grandfather. His journey of self-discovery finds himself getting used to all the wonders and quirks of Mexican life, for all its joy and bitterness. This tender comedy about the importance of learning where you came from was directed by Gerardo Gatica and stars Ximena Romo, Verónica Castro, and Jesús Zavala. Read more Watch the trailer of Dime Cuándo Tú
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Best Mexican movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ or DVD in 2021
2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and the 2010's best rated Mexican movies out on DVD, Bluray or streaming on VOD (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ & More).
DIRECTOR: Fernando Frias CAST: Juan Daniel Garcia Treviño, Bianca Coral Puernte Valenzuela & Xueming Angelina Chen
Writer/director Frías de la Parra crafts this affectionate and bittersweet story of family. Teenager Ulises flees from dangerous altercation within his musical street gang by crossing the border in order to save his life. Forced to leave behind all his friends and family, Ulises struggles to make a new life for himself in America, if he can avoid being deported. The film has been renowned for winning awards at the Cairo International Film Festival and Morelia International Film Festival. Read more Watch the trailer of I’m No Longer Here
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DIRECTOR: Issa López CAST: Paola Lara, Juan Ramón López & Ianis Guerrero
The young girl Estrella (Paola Lara) finds her life in Mexico is exceptionally tough with drug wars destroying her neighborhood. When her mother goes missing, she falls in with a gang of kids who are living off the street, stealing from others to survive. Though this lifestyle is even tougher, Estrella discovers she possesses a magical power that makes her valuable to the group. The collective of kids struggle to survive on the streets when pursued by violent gangs in this dark contemporary fantasy. Read more Watch the trailer of Tigers Are not Afraid
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DIRECTOR: Arturo Ripstein CAST: Sylvia Pasquel, Alejandro Suárez & Greta Cervantes
The couple of Beatriz (Silvia Pasquel) and the Old Man (Alejandro Suárez) have maintained a relationship that has progressed for decades. The Old Man was once a homeopathic pharmacist but has now retired to his Mexico City home with Beatriz. Both of them are hiding secrets. The Old Man sneaks off to a mistress while Beatriz attends secret tango lessons. And witness to it all is their maid as their children have been abandoned them. Read more Watch the trailer of Devil Between the Legs
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DIRECTOR: Carlos Reygadas CAST: Carlos Reygadas, Natalia López, Phil Burgers, Rut Reygadas
Carlos Reygadas, the master of contemporary magical realism, returns with 'Our Time', a poetic portrait of a rural, fighting bull raising Mexican couple struggling with their marriage. Read more Watch the trailer of Our Time Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates
DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón CAST: Marina de Tavira
Daniela Demesa
Marco Graf
It's been a while since we last heard from Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. In fact, his last movie was the mind-blowing sci-fi melodrama 'Gravity' from 2013. With 'Roma', he is back on earth, on his home soil even. The movie chronicles the lives of a Mexico City middle-class family during four seasons. Read more Watch the trailer of Roma
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DIRECTOR: Sebastian Hofmann CAST: Andrés Almeida, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Pablo Guisa Koestinger
Two men become convinced that their families, who are staying in a tropical resort, are in great danger. They set out a plan to rescue them. Read more Watch the trailer of Time Share
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DIRECTOR: Fernando Javier León Rodríguez CAST: Jorge Adrián Spíndola
Harold Torres
Leticia Huijara
The history of the Mexican Revolution in the 1910’s, envisioned through the eyes of two random wanderers. After tossing a coin, they decide to join revolutionary Obregon’s troupes. Like Barry Lyndon, they are straight opportunists and get from the one Bunuellian situation in the other Jodorowskian one. Nice little, funny acid western. Read more Watch the trailer of La Cebra RATING: 64/100 Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates
DIRECTOR: Michael Rowe CAST: Mónica Del Carmen
Gustavo Sánchez Parra
Armando Hernández
A young female journalist goes to live in the big city. She tells her family she has a lot of friends and a good time. Everyday, she calls her mom to describe stuff like what she has been eating. When her brother visits her, he has to travel for eight hours. We see her loneliness and isolation. Then, she meets Arturo, who fulfils her weird, sexual desires. Those evolve into a sadomasochistic obsession and a peculiar wish that you will have to find out yourself. Despite the freaky and heavy subject, it’s all wonderfully depicted by the main actress and perfectly understandable because of that, in a way, I think. Read more Watch the trailer of Año bisiesto RATING: 59/100
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DIRECTOR: Shaul Schwarz CAST: Tim Nailer Foley
José Manuel 'El Doctor' Mireles
Paco Valencia.
When you see this highly interesting documentary, you will first of all not believe your eyes but second of all learn so much about contemporary Mexican culture. And it will make you understand the movies on this list even more. Criminals pay songwriters to compose accordion ‘schlager’ songs about them killing each other. Bazookas are frequently used as accessories on stage when they sing their songs to families and children. It’s a fucked up world you know. Read more Watch the trailer of Narco Cultura RATING: 72/100
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DIRECTOR: Enrique Rivero CAST: Margarita Saldaña
A woman returns to her hometown in the middle of nowhere when her mother is dying. During simple but at the same time complex family situations, the magnificent landscapes of Xochimilco surrounding their little hut, are beautifully portrayed. We follow Chayo, a strong and mysterious looking middle-aged mother, coming from the city, through river branches and open fields. Besides the ridiculously over-symbolic dream sequences, which the director admitted he should not have included, Mai Morire is an intriguing piece of cinema. Read more Watch the trailer of Mai Morire RATING: 66/100
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DIRECTOR: Carlos Reygadas CAST: Rut Reygadas
Mitsy Ferrand
Joakim Chardonnens
apón [Japan] (2002), Batalla en el cielo [Battle in Heaven] (2005), Stellet Licht [Silent Light] (2007) stand for amazing contemplative cinema, reminiscent of Bresson, Kaurismäki, Dreyer and Bergman, containing often a lot of sexual tension. Especially the second, Batalla en el cielo, can be considered a contemporary masterpiece. It’s a film Harmony Korine would have wished he would have made. Amat Escalante owes a lot to Reygadas. As a matter of fact, the first was the second’s assistent director and the second co-producer of the first. Post Tenebras Lux is a dazzling journey into thought provoking scenes that remember of Apichatpong Weerasethakuls films. So if you like those, you will love this one. The film is full of stuff to think about, it’s dreamy and shocking. Just see it and resee it. Read more Watch the trailer of Post Tenebrax Lux RATING: 66/100
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DIRECTOR: Amat Escalante CAST: Armando Espitia
Andrea Vergara
Linda González
One of the most promising voices in Mexican cinema must be Amat Escalante. He already delivered two intriguing short-films, Amarrados (2002) and El Cura Nicolás Colgado (2010) and three impressive feature films, Sangre [Blood] (2005), Los bastardos [The Bastards] (2008) and Heli (2012). All of them show how unpredictable violence can invade normal people’s lives all of a sudden. Los bastardos feels like Funny Games (Haneke, 1997) as illegal workers penetrate a middle class family’s home. Everything goes wrong afterwards. Heli as well is one hell of an unbelievable thrilling and shocking ride when a guy finds a bag of cocaine and decides to hide at his house. And it’s beautiful shot too, definitely worth your time. Go and see it! Read more Watch the trailer of Heli RATING: 68/100
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DIRECTOR: Fernando Eimbcke CAST: María Renée Prudencio
Lucio Giménez Cacho
Danae Reynaud
Eimbcke is a master in working out annoying, little situations to full feature movies with subtle but hilarious humor. In Temporada de patos [Duck Season] (2004), a couple of kids are waiting for their pizza to be delivered. In Lake Tahoe (2008), a guy is searching for a replacing engine part of his broken down car. In Eimbcke’s third, Club Sandwich, he describes the holidays of a single mom and her teenager son in an empty HOTEL during low season. They basically do nothing the whole day. Eimbcke transfixes his camera on pleasurable details a lot of us can recognize themselves in. In that way, the film is a very funny and touching story that will grab you, shake you and make you think. Read more Watch the trailer of Club Sandwich RATING: 66/100
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DIRECTOR: Pedro González-Rubio CAST: Jorge Machado
Roberta Palombini
Natan Machado Palombini
A Mexican grandfather goes fishing with his son and grandson. We get to know that his son is divorced and his grandson now lives with his mom in Italy. Through photographs and home video, Alamar explains the previous romance of the now broken marriage. On the boat, fishing, it feels like a semi-documentary which gives a wonderful portrait of a father-son relationship. And never getting too sentimental, it’s a really sympathetic and true to life picture. Read more Watch the trailer of Alamar RATING: 73/100
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DIRECTOR: Michel Franco CAST: Tessa Ia
Hernán Mendoza
Gonzalo Vega Jr.
Después de Lucia is about bullying, but in a much further developed, sadistic form. That’s immediately also the downside of the movie. Sometimes it goes way beyond the point of credibility. Franco shows the events as slices of life in a Michael Haneke kind of way, which makes the occurrences even more shocking. The acting is great and its shock value never bores. It gives also a great view on the consequences of the immediate access to capturing and spreading events on video in the ‘smart phone generation’. Besides having made an compelling, equally shocking feature in 2009, Daniel & Ana, Michel Franco has finished a new one. One featuring Año bisiesto‘s Monica del Carmen and other non-actors to achieve a semi-documentary style. A los ojos (2013), not yet released, will be about ineffectiveness of the health system, a very important subject but can he make it into a good film? Read more Watch the trailer of Depués de Lucía RATING: 72/100
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DIRECTOR: Ernesto Contreras CAST: Fernando Álvarez Rebeil
José Manuel Poncelis
Eligio Meléndez
A linguist travels to an isolated part of the country to scrutinize and record an almost extinct language. There are only two speakers alive, but in order to get them to talk to each other, a 50 year feud needs to be solved first. Read more Watch the trailer of I Dream in Another Language RATING: 81/100
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DIRECTOR: Amat Escalante CAST: Kenny Johnston
Simone Bucio
Fernando Corona
Angel and Alejandra's marriage (and sex life) isn't what it supposed to be. Then they meet a mysterious girl who introduces to a 'pleasure-giving'... Read more Watch the trailer of La región salvaje RATING: 82/100
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Luis Bunuel is without a doubt Mexico’s most famous movie director up until this day. But don’t forget about the richness and greatness of contemporary Mexican cinema. We put together a long list which should serve as a proper introduction!
When people think of contemporary Mexican cinema, they usually tend to mention the ‘Big Three’, also called the ‘Three Amigos’, which features the directors Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro. First of all, even though they get classified as part of a ‘buena onda’, I would not consider them as Mexican filmmakers, anymore. After delivering one Mexican, so-called masterpiece and breakthrough film, respectively Amores perros [Love’s a Bitch] (2000), Y tu mamá también [And Your Mother Too] (2001) and El espinazo del diablo [The Devil’s Backbone] (2001), they all fell for the glitter & glammer and more particular the wealth & fame of the Hollywood system. Secondly, the last pictures they have done there or in terms of it, were horribly overrated. Iñárritu made Biutiful (2010), Cuarón Gravity (2013) and del Toro Pacific Rim (2013). All of them colored inside the Hollywood lines in order to become an overblown blockbuster. That last fellow del Toro even thought of taking on Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, just to indicate their distance from their Mexican ‘indie roots’. Fortunately, there is more also much more to explore from this country's great cinema.
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