Canal+ España (Spain): 15

My Big Night (2015) is an Spanish comedy film, directed and co-written by Álex de la Iglesia and Jorge Guerricaechevarría respectively. The story follows José, an extra hired by an employment agency four months in advance, for a New Year’s Eve television special being filmed in an industrial pavilion outside Madrid. This leaves his mother Dolores, who is attached to a large crucifix she took from her husband’s grave, alone at home. José has been brought in to replace another extra who passed away due to an accident with a production crane during rehearsals. He ...

Witching & Bitching (2013) is a Spanish comedy horror film co-written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia. It follows the misadventures of two men, José and Antonio, as they rob a pawn shop in Madrid along with José’s son Sergio. The risky decision to involve the child puts everyone in danger, leading to a chaotic shootout and their hijacking of a taxi. In desperation, they flee towards Spain’s border with an unwilling passenger in the trunk and force the driver, Manuel, to take them there. However, they are not alone as Sergio’s mother Silvia and two persistent police investigators Pacheco and ...

Unit 7 (2012) is a gripping Spanish crime drama action thriller directed by Alberto Rodríguez and co-written with Rafael Cobos. This critically acclaimed film earned 16 Goya Award nominations. Set in Seville, Andalusia, the story unfolds in the four years leading up to the 1992 Universal Exposition. It portrays the significant social changes that accompanied this major event, focusing on the city’s transformation before and after the World Expo. The plot centers on the dedicated members of Unit 7, a fictional police unit known for their exceptional rate of drug ...

The Spanish mystery thriller film The Body (2012), co-written and directed by Oriol Paulo, follows Inspector Jaime Peña as he looks into an accident that has left night watchman Ángel Torres in a coma. Security footage reveals Ángel fleeing from his job at the morgue before being struck by a car. Peña is then informed that Mayka Villaverde, a middle-aged and wealthy businesswoman who was married to a younger man, has disappeared from the morgue after suffering a heart attack on a business trip. Her widower, Álex Ulloa, is shocked to hear this news while in the company of his young mistress, Carla Miller. While at the ...

The Impossible (2012) is a disaster drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez, based on the real-life experience of María Belón and her family during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Doctor Maria Bennett, her husband Henry, and their three sons Lucas, Simon, and Thomas are on a Christmas holiday in Khao Lak, Thailand when disaster strikes. Arriving on Christmas Eve at the Orchid Beach Resort, they settle in and start to enjoy their vacation. But just two days later, on December 26, everything changes as the massive tsunami hits the area. Amidst ...

Three Steps Above Heaven (2010) is a Spanish romantic drama film directed by Fernando González Molina and written by Ramón Salazar. Starring Mario Casas and María Valverde, the film is based on the novel by Federico Moccia. It follows the story of Babi, a sheltered upper-middle-class girl, and Hache, a rebellious risk-taker, as they navigate their contrasting worlds and embark on a passionate yet challenging love affair. While ...

Produced, edited, and directed by Juan José Campanella, The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) is an Argentine-Spanish crime drama film based on Eduardo Sacheri’s novel La pregunta de sus ojos. In 1974, judiciary agent Benjamin Espósito investigates the rape and murder of Liliana Colotto de Morales. He vows to her husband Ricardo to find the killer and ensure a life sentence. As he delves into the case with his partner Pablo Sandoval, who struggles with alcoholism, they are joined by their new department chief Irene Menéndez-Hastings. Espósito’s rival Romano ...

Planet 51 (2009), an animated science fiction comedy directed by Jorge Blanco, features green extraterrestrials living peacefully in a society reminiscent of the 1950s United States. However, this planet and its inhabitants differ significantly from Earth, as their lack of knowledge about astronomy leads them to believe that the Universe only stretches for around 500 miles. When a mysterious spacecraft lands in the city of Glipforg, NASA astronaut Captain Charles T. ‘Chuck’ Baker emerges and is surprised to discover life on the planet. Chuck quickly escapes to the town’s planetarium where he meets Lem, ...

Tetro (2009) is a drama film written, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. On the week of his 18th birthday, Bennie, a waiter on a cruise ship, has a layover in Buenos Aires. He seeks out his older brother, Tetro, who he hasn’t seen in years and currently lives with Miranda. However, Tetro is a burnt-out case; he’s emotionally distant yet somewhat welcoming to his sibling. As they reconnect, Bennie uncovers pages of Tetro’s unfinished novel, which sparks their curiosity about their elusive father and the past that haunts them both. Despite Tetro’s reluctance to confront their family ...

Summer Rain (2006) is a romantic drama film directed by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas from a screenplay by Antonio Soler, which is based on his novel of the same name. Set in 1978 in Málaga, Spain, the movie follows the story of teenager Miguelito Dávila. After being diagnosed with kidney disease and spending time in the hospital, he develops a love for classic poetry, specifically Dante’s Divine Comedy. Despite working at a hardware store, Miguelito holds onto his dream of becoming a poet. One summer, he spends time with childhood friends Babirusa, Paco Frontón ...

The psychological thriller film, The Machinist (2004), was directed by Brad Anderson and written by Scott Kosar. Its protagonist, Trevor Reznik, suffers from insomnia which has caused him to become severely underweight. His coworkers have shunned him due to his physical appearance and unusual behavior. However, things take a turn for the worse when he is involved in an accident at work that results in a coworker losing their arm. Despite being distracted by a coworker named Ivan who no one seems to know or have records of, Trevor is blamed for the accident. Seeking ...

A Spanish thriller film, directed and co-written by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Intacto (2001) delves into a trade based on luck. Adopting a magical realism approach, the movie showcases how luck can be traded between individuals, with the idea that it can be accumulated and exchanged like any other commodity. The plot follows various characters who take part in increasingly dangerous games of chance in order to eliminate their own bad luck. This is a mysterious story about four individuals whose paths are intertwined by the hand of fate. They soon realize that luck is an invaluable ...

South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999) is an American adult animated musical comedy film based on the animated sitcom South Park. One morning in the Colorado town of South Park, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, his adopted brother Ike, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick head to the movie theater to catch Terrance and Phillip’s R-rated flick, Asses of Fire. Despite initially being turned away for not meeting the age requirement, the boys enlist a homeless man to join them. After viewing the film, they become fond of using profanity. Their peers are amazed and follow suit by watching the movie as well, except for Wendy Testaburger who spends time with ...

The neo-noir horror thriller film, The Ninth Gate (1999), was directed, produced, and co-written by Roman Polanski. The main character, Dean Corso, is a rare book dealer from New York City who is hired by Boris Balkan, a wealthy collector. Balkan has obtained a copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, a book believed to have been written by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia in collaboration with the Devil. Only three copies are said to have survived when Torchia and his works were burned for heresy. In order to determine the authenticity of one of these copies, Balkan wants Corso to inspect the other two. ...

Open Your Eyes (1997) is a Spanish film directed and co-scored by Alejandro Amenábar, written by Amenábar and Mateo Gil. A handsome young man awakens to the sound of a female voice urging him to open his eyes. He drives through an empty city, before waking up once again, this time to find a woman in his bed. He instructs her not to leave him any messages on his alarm clock. From a Madrid prison cell, 25-year-old César recounts his tale to psychiatrist Antonio while wearing a prosthetic mask. Through flashbacks, we see that ...