There’s ultimately no accounting for taste, especially when it comes to makinglistsaboutmovies. Even if you attempt to make a poll as scientifically objective as possible by compiling votes from hundreds of reputable film experts, there will always be those who take offense at the final results, especially when you omit one of thebest directorsof recent times.
The list for the“100 Best Movies of the 21st Century”published byThe New York Timesin June 2025 is a case in point. It’s not just that the results of the poll divided movie fans. They unquestionably overlook most of thebest Spanish-language moviesof the century, as well as the entirety of one particular Mexican director’s output.
Alejandro González Iñárrituis celebrated not only for his Spanish-language psychological dramaAmores perros, but for multiple English-language masterpieces. Iñárritu famously made his 2014 movieBirdmanas though it was shot in one take, while his 2015 workThe Revenantwon Leonardo DiCaprio his only Oscar.The New York Timesincludes neither among the 100 best films of this century, however.
Alejandro González Iñárritu Is Completely Absent From The 100 Best Movies Of The 21st Century
The Director Has At Least 2 Movies That Should Have Been On The List
None of Iñárritu’s critically acclaimed movies made itontoThe New York Timeslist of the 21st century’s best movies. In addition toBirdman,Amores perros, andThe Revenant, his 2003 crime thriller21 Grams, starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, would have been a worthy inclusion on the list.
The Revenantis perhaps the least eligible for the list among these four movies in terms of overall critical appraisal, but it did win five Academy Awards, including Best Director for Iñárritu, as well as Best Cinematography.BirdmanandAmores perrosare really glaring omissions,as they are two of the most ingeniously inventive movies of the past 25 years.
WithIñárritu’s next movie being a comedy project with Tom Cruisethat’s already well into production, the director is set to add another innovative work to a wonderfully idiosyncratic collection of artistic endeavors. It’s easy to imagine thatfuture industry polls will recognize at least one of his moviesamong the best of its generation.
Iñárritu Missing Out Reflects The List’s Underrepresentation Of Spanish-Language Filmmakers
Only 4 Spanish-Language Movies Made The 100
It’s one thing for Iñárritu’s films to be omitted from an industry poll of the 21st century’s top 100 movies. It’s quite another thing foran entire language encompassing more than 20 nations of filmmakers to be noticeably underrepresentedin the poll. Yet, Iñárritu is only one of many Spanish-language directors who don’t feature on the list.
It’s not just the directors who are completely absent that’s the problem, either. Iconic Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has only one film on the list. His masterful fantasyPan’s Labyrinth–Guillermo del Toro’s best movieand a genuine contender for the top 10 movies of the century so far – languishes in 54th place, immediately belowBorat.
Twice as many of Alfonso Cuarón’s movies feature as all the other Spanish-speaking directors put together.
Meanwhile, revered Spanish directorPedro Almodóvar has just one movie in the 100–Volver, at number 80 – while his greatest work,Hable con ella, is notable for its absence. Apart fromPan’s LabyrinthandVolver, there are just two other Spanish-language movies on the list, which were both directed by Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón.
With his filmsY Tu Mamá TambiénandROMAincluded in the 100, as well as the American-made, English-language moviesChildren of MenandGravity,Cuarón is arguably overrepresented inThe New York Times’ list, especially in relation to other Latin American filmmakers. Twice as many of his movies feature as all the other Spanish-speaking directors put together.
Thetotal of four Spanish-language movies on the listis a massive underestimation of the Spanish-speaking world’s cinematic output in the 21st century. By comparison, there are five French movies in the list, despite there being far more Spanish-language movies out there from filmmakers across three continents.
The Omission Of Several All-Time Great Spanish-Language Movies Is Particularly Glaring
Hable Con Ella, Amores Perros, Nostalgia For The Light & La Ciénaga Should Have Been Shoe-Ins
The most disappointing aspect of the “100 Best Movies of the 21st Century” underrepresenting Spanish and Latin American cinema is that some of thebest films in Spanish ever madewere eligible for the list, but somehow didn’t make it.
Hable con ellais generally regarded as an all-time great romance story. Meanwhile,Amores perrossignaled the beginning of a new wave of Mexican cinema focused on intensely human drama, along withY Tu Mamá También. All three films should have been in the list, andHable con ellashould have been near the very top.
Patricio Guzman’s visually otherworldly documentaryNostalgia for the Lightis another shocking omission. So is the darkly comicLa ciénaga, the directorial debut of Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel.
It’s difficult to fathom howso many generationally significant Spanish-language directors have been left off a list of this century’s best movies. Alfonso Cuarón isn’t the only Spanish-speaking director whose career is closely intertwined with Hollywood. Even if poll participants primarily voted for household names, for the list to feature so few films in Spanish is deeply perplexing.
