Argentine cinema is one of the richest and most internationally recognized film traditions in Latin America. From dark comedies and crime thrillers to stories about dictatorship, immigration, family life and everyday Buenos Aires, Argentine movies offer an unusually good window into the country’s history, humor, language and culture.
If you are learning Spanish in Buenos Aires or studying abroad in Argentina, watching local films is also a great way to train your ear for Rioplatense Spanish, become familiar with Argentine expressions and understand cultural references you will hear in everyday life.
Argentina has a particularly important place in international cinema. The Official Story became the country’s first winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and The Secret in Their Eyes later won the same award. More recently, Argentina, 1985 was nominated for Best International Feature Film.
Below are ten Argentine movies we recommend watching, whether you are preparing for your time in Buenos Aires or simply want a better introduction to Argentine cinema.
1. Nine Queens / Nueve reinas (2000)
Genre: Crime, thriller, dark comedy
Nueve reinas is one of the best introductions to Buenos Aires on film. Two small-time con artists, Juan and Marcos, meet by chance and become involved in an increasingly elaborate scheme involving a supposedly rare set of stamps known as the Nine Queens.
The story unfolds almost entirely in Buenos Aires and is full of deception, improvisation and chamuyo, the distinctly Argentine art of persuasive talk. The less you know about the ending before watching it, the better.
It is also an excellent movie for Spanish learners because the dialogue exposes you to natural Argentine pronunciation, vocabulary and humor.
2. The Secret in Their Eyes / El secreto de sus ojos (2009)
Genre: Crime, drama, romance
A retired judicial employee revisits an unresolved murder case that has stayed with him for decades, as well as the complicated relationship he had with a colleague involved in the investigation.
The film moves between different periods of Argentine history while combining crime, memory, love and obsession. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and remains one of Argentina’s most internationally recognized movies.
Ricardo Darín, one of the country’s best-known actors, gives one of his defining performances.
3. Wild Tales / Relatos salvajes (2014)
Genre: Black comedy, drama
Wild Tales consists of six independent stories connected by one basic idea: ordinary people reaching their breaking point.
Road rage, bureaucracy, revenge, inequality and a disastrous wedding all become vehicles for an exaggerated but strangely recognizable version of Argentine frustration.
The movie is fast, funny, dark and highly accessible even if you have never watched Argentine cinema before. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
4. Argentina, 1985 (2022)
Genre: Historical drama, courtroom drama
Argentina, 1985 tells the story of prosecutors Julio César Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo and the team that worked on the historic Trial of the Juntas following Argentina’s last military dictatorship.
The film combines an important moment in Argentine democratic history with a surprisingly human and accessible style. It stars Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
For international students who want to better understand modern Argentina, this is one of the most useful contemporary films to watch.
5. The Official Story / La historia oficial (1985)
Genre: Historical drama
Alicia, a history teacher living in Buenos Aires, begins questioning the origins of her adopted daughter as Argentina emerges from the military dictatorship of 1976–1983.
Her search forces her to confront uncomfortable truths about the disappearances, clandestine detention centers and appropriation of children that occurred during that period.
The Official Story became the first Argentine movie to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and remains essential viewing for understanding how cinema helped Argentina confront its recent history.
6. The Distinguished Citizen / El ciudadano ilustre (2016)
Genre: Comedy, drama
Daniel Mantovani is an Argentine writer living in Europe who has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. After decades abroad, he accepts an invitation to return to his small hometown in Argentina to receive a local award.
What begins as a triumphant homecoming gradually becomes much more uncomfortable.
The movie is funny, awkward and increasingly dark, exploring fame, identity, provincial life and the complicated relationship people can have with the places they come from.
7. Sidewalls / Medianeras (2011)
Genre: Romantic comedy, drama
If you want a movie about what it actually feels like to live in Buenos Aires, Medianeras is an excellent choice.
Martín and Mariana live close to one another in the enormous city but repeatedly fail to meet. Their stories unfold through apartments, architecture, technology, loneliness and the peculiar rhythm of urban life in Buenos Aires.
The city itself becomes one of the film’s main characters, making this especially fun to watch before or during a stay in Buenos Aires.
8. The Clan / El clan (2015)
Genre: Crime, drama
Based on the real Puccio family case, El clan follows an apparently conventional family living in the Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro during the early years after the military dictatorship.
Behind that respectable appearance, members of the family were involved in kidnapping people for ransom.
The contrast between ordinary family life and organized violence makes the story particularly unsettling. The film also provides a glimpse into a complicated transitional moment in Argentine society.
9. Burnt Money / Plata quemada (2000)
Genre: Crime, drama, romance
Based on Ricardo Piglia’s novel and inspired by a real robbery, Plata quemada follows a group of criminals who flee Buenos Aires and hide in Uruguay after a violent heist.
At the center of the story is the intense relationship between Nene and Ángel, two members of the group.
The movie combines crime cinema with a destructive love story and has become one of the more distinctive Argentine films of its era.
10. The Aura / El aura (2005)
Genre: Crime, psychological thriller
In director Fabián Bielinsky’s second and final feature film, Ricardo Darín plays a quiet taxidermist who has an unusual fascination with imagining the perfect crime.
During a hunting trip in Patagonia, circumstances unexpectedly give him the possibility of entering the criminal world he has previously only imagined.
Compared with the energetic pace of Nueve reinas, El aura is slower, darker and more atmospheric, showing a very different side of Argentine filmmaking.
Which Argentine Movie Should You Watch First?
If this is your first introduction to Argentine cinema, we recommend starting with Nine Queens, Wild Tales or The Secret in Their Eyes. All three are accessible, entertaining and offer plenty of Argentine language and cultural context.
If you are especially interested in Argentine history, watch The Official Story followed by Argentina, 1985.
And if you want to see Buenos Aires itself become part of the story, Sidewalls is an excellent choice.
Can Watching Argentine Movies Help You Learn Spanish?
Absolutely. Movies expose you to accents, rhythm, informal vocabulary and cultural references that are difficult to learn from a textbook alone.
Argentine Spanish, particularly the variety spoken in Buenos Aires and the Río de la Plata region, has several characteristics you will quickly notice:
- the use of vos instead of tú;
- distinctive pronunciation of ll and y;
- local slang known as lunfardo;
- a very recognizable rhythm and intonation;
- expressions that are rarely taught in standard Spanish textbooks.
If you are still building your listening skills, start with Spanish audio and English subtitles. As you improve, switch to Spanish subtitles so you can connect pronunciation with written vocabulary.
You can also explore our guide to Argentine slang before watching these movies. It will make many of the conversations easier to follow.
Where Can You Watch Argentine Movies?
Streaming availability changes frequently and depends on your country, so rather than relying on a single platform, search each movie by both its English and Spanish title.
Argentine films can appear on international streaming services, specialist film platforms, digital rental services, local Argentine platforms and film festivals.
If you are already in Buenos Aires, also keep an eye on the city’s cinemas, cultural centers and film festivals. Watching a local movie with an Argentine audience can be a very different experience from watching it at home.
Experience Argentine Culture Beyond the Screen
Film is one of the easiest ways to begin understanding Argentina before arriving, but nothing replaces experiencing the language and culture in person.
Students participating in Spanish programs in Buenos Aires, study abroad programs and other Mente Argentina experiences have the opportunity to practice the language every day while discovering the neighborhoods, food, music, history and social culture behind many of these stories.
Explore more articles in our Argentine culture guides to continue discovering Buenos Aires before your trip.