9 Best Movies from Argentina to Watch First

9 Essential Films from Argentina

Ranked native cinema in Argentina’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. The Secret in Their Eyes

   El secreto de sus ojos · 2009

   A retired Buenos Aires legal investigator sets out to write a novel about a decades-old rape and murder case that has haunted him for years, reopening old wounds and an unspoken love along the way. This Oscar-winning thriller moves between past and present as buried truths resurface.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: , memory, and violence.

2. 

   2. Wild Tales

   Relatos salvajes · 2014

   Six darkly comic stories, unconnected but bound by a common thread, follow ordinary people pushed past their breaking point — a road-rage duel, a disastrous wedding, a demolitions engineer at war with bureaucracy, and more. A gleefully savage anthology about rage and revenge.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A Spanish-language Argentine anthology film by Damian Szifron and a major modern Argentine hit.

3. 

   3. Nine Queens

   Nueve reinas · 2000

   Two con men join forces in Buenos Aires for the score of a lifetime: selling a sheet of rare counterfeit stamps to a wealthy collector. As the scheme grows more elaborate, it becomes impossible to tell who is conning whom. A tightly wound heist thriller.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A Spanish-language Argentine heist classic set in Buenos Aires and considered an Argentine film classic.

4. 

   4. Argentina, 1985

   2022

   Based on true events, a state prosecutor and a young, untested legal team take on the near-impossible task of putting the leaders of Argentina's murderous military dictatorship on trial. Against threats and a ticking clock, they build the case of their lives. A gripping courtroom drama.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A Spanish-language Argentine courtroom drama about the Trial of the Juntas.

5. 

   5. The Official Story

   La historia oficial · 1985

   In the final days of Argentina's dictatorship, a comfortable Buenos Aires history teacher begins to suspect that her adopted daughter may be the child of one of the regime's disappeared. Her growing doubt forces her to confront the truth beneath her sheltered life. An Oscar-winning drama.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: , adoption, and historical memory.

6. 

   6. Underdogs

   Metegol · 2013

   A shy but gifted foosball player and the free-spirited girl he loves face ruin when an arrogant soccer superstar returns to their village bent on flattening it. In his hour of need, the little figures on his beloved foosball table magically come to life. An animated family adventure.

7. 

   7. Heroic Losers

   La odisea de los giles · 2019

   In a small town in rural Buenos Aires province, a group of neighbors pools its savings to revive the local economy — only to be swindled out of everything when the country's banking collapse hits. Refusing to accept the loss, they hatch a plan to get their money back. A rousing caper comedy.

8. 

   8. The Angel

   El Ángel · 2018

   Buenos Aires, 1971. A baby-faced, remorseless nineteen-year-old with a gift for theft and violence embarks on a spree of crime after falling in with a magnetic new partner. Based on the true story of one of Argentina's most notorious criminals.

9. 

   9. Tini: The Movie

   Tini: El gran cambio de Violetta · 2016

   A young pop star retreats to the Italian countryside for a transformative summer, where heartbreak and self-doubt give way to reinvention as an artist. A musical drama built around the teen idol Martina Stoessel.