13 films that have represented Latin America at the Critics Choice Awards

The film and television awards season is one of the most exciting events for the fans of these productions, without a doubt. Once the Golden Globes show is over, the turn on the list is for the Critics Choice Awards, a great prelude to the always-awaited Oscars.

As has been the custom in these types of awards, the Latin American representation has always been something to talk about during the nominations in its different categories, such as Best Foreign Language Film. That is why we decided to talk about those films that have been present at this important ceremony. 

And your mother too (2001)

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, this film was the first in Latin America to win a Critics Choice Award. The story accompanies three young people who decide to make an impromptu trip, whose adventure will end up putting their friendship to the test and will mark their lives forever.

City of God (2003)

One of the most critically acclaimed films in Brazil. Director Fernando Meirelles brought to the big screen a harsh and ruthless vision of the violence that leads children from the favelas to a life of crime. The film follows the story of Buscapé, a young man who dreams of being a photographer despite living in a neighborhood full of robberies, fights, and confrontations with the police.

Maria full of grace (2004)

A co-production between Colombia and the United States that won multiple awards for its director Joshua Marston and actress Catalina Sandino. This realistic and splendid story is not only about drugs and so-called mules, but also about poverty and the contrast between lives drowned by underdevelopment versus the almighty American dream. Without a doubt, one of the many jewels of Colombian cinema.

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

This Argentine production is based on the diaries of "Che" Guevara and Alberto Granado, interpreted by Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna, respectively. The story tells of their travels through South America in 1952, whose experience presents them with the true identity of the most impoverished peoples who suffer all kinds of injustices, something that changed the course of their lives forever.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

The masterpiece from Guillermo del Toro. This Spanish-Mexican film recounts the dreamlike journey of a girl who has had to live in the Spanish postwar period. Ofelia and her mother Carmen have to move to a small town to which Vidal, captain of the Francoist army and stepfather of the young woman, has been assigned. During her stay, Ofelia discovers the ruins of a labyrinth and a faun who reveals that she really is a princess they have been waiting for a long time in a magical kingdom.

Nameless (2009)

A quite realistic Mexican film about immigration on the one hand and armed fringe groups on the other. The story is based on Sayra, a Honduran teenager who teams up with a Mexican gang member to try to reach the United States. Starting in Chiapas, both travel on the roof of a freight wagon where they will be exposed to both inclement weather and recurrent violence.

Biutiful (2010)

This film is set in Barcelona and its protagonist is Javier Bardem, who plays a father of a family who finds out that he suffers from cancer and seeks to straighten out his life before he dies. Little by little, the drama introduces us to his difficult day-to-day life; since he must support and educate his children alone, deal with the bipolar problems of his ex-wife, as well as suffer the constant lack of money. As if that were not enough, he has certain powers of sensitivity towards spirits, so he can maintain energetic dialogues with them.

Wild Tales (2014)

This Argentine anthology and black comedy film is a must. The story is divided into six different stories that are united by their theme, which is that border that separates civilization from barbarism and the undeniable pleasure of losing control. In other words, these are conflictive everyday situations, which ordinary citizens repress by choosing to be less impulsive and not respond to external aggressions.

Also read: Nomadland: the film that triumphed at the Golden Globes

The Second Mother (2015)

This was the second Brazilian production to be nominated for these awards. The film is based on a critique of social inequality in Brazil through the story of a domestic worker named Val and the tensions with her employers caused by her daughter's arrival in São Paulo to start her university studies. Coexistence becomes complicated since the young woman does not accept the social divisions imposed and that her mother respects.

Neruda (2016)

A biographical film that became the first to represent Chile at the Critics Choice Awards. Set in 1948, it tells the story of Neruda's escape after accusing the government of González Videla of treason, who ordered his capture. While being persecuted, the poet begins to write General Canto, a literary legend that became a symbol of freedom.

A Fantastic Woman (2017)

For the second year in a row, Chile represented Latin America in a great way with a wonderful film. This one revolves around Marina, a transsexual woman who must deal with the suspicions of the death of Orlando, her partner. To the family of the deceased, the condition of Marina seems to be an aberration and she will have to move forward to prove that she is a fantastic woman.

Rome (2018)

A new success for Cuarón that earned him his second award in this category from the Critics Choice Awards. The film is a fiction based on the director's own childhood memories in the Roma neighborhood in Mexico City, which narrates the life of a middle-class family and their domestic worker. This production was also a great success at the Oscars, as it had a total of ten nominations, including Best Picture.

La llorona (2020)

This Guatemalan film is the most recent to represent Latin America at this gala. After an armed conflict in Guatemala that ended the lives of Alma and her children, the story centers thirty years later on retired General Enrique Monteverde, who was at the forefront of such genocide and was acquitted of that trial. Given this, the spirit of Alma turned into La Llorona is released to disturb the general's nights.