Lingua Franca

World Films for the New England Winter

Fátima Serra, World Languages and Cultures

World Languages and Cultures Educators enjoy films with our students. Apart from providing invaluable exposure to the language and culture, movies feed our emotional core and the narrations affect the way we communicate and relate to each other in the world. And they are also a lot of fun! Why not try watching some foreign films at home? Here are some recommendations of recent films from the Spanish-speaking world, highly acclaimed by critics and audiences.

The three of them deal with the lives of common people under the oppressive dictatorships of Chile and Argentina. Yes, some of you have already seen cinema dealing with these subjects… But in these recent takes on the subject, we see losses and triumphs masterfully told with plots that stand on their own without the political subtext.  That sets them apart from previous existing films and leaves the audience not only with powerless victims, but also with a bittersweet sense of victory.

No (2012)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/mobile/m/no_2012/

Clandestine Childhood (2011)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/infancia_clandestina/

The Secret in their Eyes (2009)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_in_their_eyes/