Top 6 Latin American Films and TV Series to Watch on a First Date

By Sounds and Colours 15 June, 2020

Getting to know someone better on a dating site is just a case of establishing common ground. The more you discover about each other’s tastes, interests, and motivations, the greater the rapport that will develop. You might find yourselves enthusing about all sorts of interesting subjects, such as restaurants, music, books or movies. The latter topic is always guaranteed to stir some interesting debates. Everyone has a favorite film, after all. You could introduce an even more compelling topic. How about discussing the top six Latin American films or TV series to enjoy on a first date? Here are the list compiled for you by dating experts from this website.

Celia

Based on the life of Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz, this biopic celebrates this flamboyant performer, noted for her wild stage energy, eye-catching outfits, and wigs liable to feature any color in the rainbow. She was also noted for her renowned catchphrase: ‘Azucar!’ Played with a necessary balance of understatement and exuberance by Puerto Rican actress Jeimy Osorio, this series explores the star performer’s formative years, growing up in a conservative household in 1950s Havana, long before the Castro revolution. The drama focuses on her struggle to fulfill her dreams as her domineering father proves to be the biggest obstacle. This is a slow-burner, but worth persevering with as we witness the butterfly blooming from the repressed chrysalis.

The Queen of Flow

This Colombian TV mini-series is about another aspiring songstress, Yeimi Montoya (Maria Jose Vargas) in this case a once-promising singer/songwriter whose dreams of fame are cruelly curtailed when she is wrongfully imprisoned as a teenager. Released from custody after the 17 long years that have destroyed her hopes, she sets out on a course of revenge against the person responsible for her incarceration. Can she do so and also resurrect her career?

Embrace of the Serpent

Another Colombian offering, Embrace of the Serpent is a 2015 feature film directed by Ciro Guerra. Mostly filmed in monochrome, the narrative follows two journeys, separated by 30 years, by an indigenous shaman in the jungles of the Colombian Amazon. One features a German ethnographer, Theo; the other Evan, a US botanist. Inspired by travel diaries written by Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans, the film is essentially a paean to lost Amazonian culture, set against the breathtaking natural beauty of this part of the world. Premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, it won the Art Cinema Award in the Directors’ Fortnight section.

The House of Flowers

By contrast, The House of Flowers is a black comedy-drama from Mexico, a TV series created by Manolo Carlo. Set within the titular florist shop, this sometimes plays like a daytime soap, featuring an upper middle-class family’s perfect life. As is usually the case, the perfect façade is masking a simmering hotbed of tensions and hidden desires, and the darker side of the narrative comes to the fore when the family patriarch’s mistress, Roberta, hangs herself from the ceiling of the shop. From this moment all sorts of dysfunction come to the surface, involving debt issues, personal problems amongst various family members, and the complete picture of the father’s secret life is revealed.

On My Block

For a lighter slice of entertainment on your date night, you could settle for this teen comedy-drama, available on Netflix from 2018. The engaging storyline follows the intertwining lives of four teenage friends who find their bonds tested when they start high school.

Lopez

This intriguing TV sitcom is semi-autobiographical, featuring a single-camera angle. It traces the day-to-day struggles of the titular George Lopez as he balances stand-up comedy with various interpersonal relationships.

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