Films from Mexico
Mexico has a rich tradition of filmmaking and cinema going back to the Época de Oro from 1936 to 1957. The
Multimedia Resources Center, located in the Undergraduate Library, has many films about Mexico or by Mexican
directors. Here are some recommended titles:
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Como Agua Para Chocolate: A popular film about tradition, love, sex, and food. In early
20th-century Mexico, Tita falls in love with a young man but is forbidden to marry him by her mother. When the mother
has the young man marry Tita's older sister, Tita begins to bewitch the family with her cooking. Como Agua Para
Chocolate is considered an example of magical realism on film.
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El Mariachi: A mariachi looks for work playing guitar in a small Mexican town, only to be
mistaken for a bad guy who also carries a guitar case. The film techniques and over-the-top shoot-outs make the film
entertaining and often funny, and prove that with a well-told story, a movie does not have to cost millions to make.
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Callejón de los Milagros (Midaq Alley): An adaptation of Nobel prize winner Naguib
Mahfouz's novel Midaq Alley, Callejón de los Milagros tells a story from the perspective of four
characters who live on the same street in modern Mexico City. Stars Salma Hayek in one of her first film roles.
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Y Tu Mamá También: Julio and Tenoch, two teens from Mexico City, set off on a
summer road trip with Luisa, an older woman they have just met. The film deals with topics of sexuality, economic
disparity, friendship, life, and death in complex, entertaining, and thought-provoking ways.
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Los Olvidados: This award-winning film by director Luís Buñuel tells the story of
children living in the slums of Mexico City in the 1940s.
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