2024 was A YEAR. Looking back, here are our superlatives in Latina media – our favorites (and most random moments) of the year.
Best Rom-Com: Música
Staring our girl Camila Mendes and Brazilian filmmaker Rudy Mancuso, this SXSW and Prime Video rom-com has all the things. Beautiful people falling in love. A hilarious take on the over-involved Latina mom. Musical numbers and a unique perspective. That Música finally got Mendes to play her actual nationality (Brazilian American) is the true cherry on top. Latinxs! We’re not all the same!
Best Doc: Frida
When we heard there was a new Frida Kahlo documentary at Sundance, we were skeptical. But Carla Gutiérrez’s film is stunning, featuring the famed painter’s diary entries, her many works, and stunning new animations. Frida demonstrates the power of its subject’s perspective. She was a total powerhouse, and even in death, Kahlo has this way of swooping in and completely owning anything she touches.
Most Random: Furiosa/Atlas
There was a weekend in 2024 (May 24 to be precise) when two action films opened in one weekend and a Latina starred in both of them. There was Argententina Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa and Jennifer Lopez in Atlas. One was a critical darling, the prequel to the Mad Max films. The other was a campy Netflix hit, an “original” filled with every sci-fi action trope. Did it mean something? Maybe that our community’s perceived grit makes action-heroine more accessible than other leading-lady parts. But maybe – it was just random.
Most Controversial: Emilia Pérez
A host of 2024 award nominations, including for Latina actresses Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. A trans plot and a Mexico setting. A narco operetta. Created by straight Frenchie Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez is a head-scratcher. It’s a wild ride for sure and has gotten a lot of praise (including by our Toni Gonzales). But some (including trans folks and yours truly) have problems with the way the film reduces its characters and setting into harmful stereotypes. So where do you land?
Best Awards Run: Liza Colón-Zayas
We’ve been fangirling for Liza Colón-Zayas. She’s phenomenal in The Bear and whenever she shows up (like in If and Cat Person), her appearance makes us smile. Certainly, seeing her get the Emmy was a highlight of the year. Her speech, her gown, her realness, they were all perfect. We’re rooting for more of her on and off the awards stage.
Most Grey’s Anatomy: Midnight Family
Twenty-one seasons in, I may finally be giving up on Grey’s Anatomy. Thankfully, there’s Midnight Family to fill my medical-drama-love-triangle needs. It stars a magnetic Renata Vaca in the Meredith Grey role as a med student hailing from a family of for-profit ambulance drivers. With Joaquín Cosio delivering a fantastic performance as her dad and guest appearances by notable Mexican stars like Yalitza Aparacio, this Apple TV+, Spanish-language series is a ton of fun while also managing to have something to say about modern-day Mexico, its beauty and its problems.
Most Infuriating: Griselda
Anytime a Latina leads a big-budget, high-profile production, we’re rooting for it. But once we saw Sofía Vergara’s Griselda in 2024, we had to withdraw our support. In an election year, the decision to portray Latina immigrants as hungry for the drug trade and happy to behead folks on the streets of Miami missed the mark. It was dangerous cliche after dangerous cliche and we can’t help but think it did more harm than good.
Best Performance: Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here
Luckily, this awards season we have Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here to root for. The film critiques the Brazilian military dictatorship and gives Torres the ability to show off her acting chops as Eunice Paiva, a real-life activist who kept her family together after her husband’s disappearance while working for broader political change. A true hero and a riveting performance!
Best Writing/Directing: Sujo
By Mexican filmmaking duo Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, Sujo is an arresting tale of one boy’s coming-of-age in the narco provinces of Mexico. Orphaned young, our titular hero is raised by his aunt (Yadira Pérez) and confronts a lack of opportunity. His story may mirror many others, but in Rondero and Valadez’s hands, his story radiates with empathy, tragedy, and hope.
Best Overall: Like Water for Chocolate
I love this show. Brought to us by Salma Hayek, this HBO series brings us the beloved novel with more nuance than the 1994 film adaptation. It keeps the Spanish-language trappings and adds more beautiful food shots and an understanding of Mexico’s racial politics. The 2024 Like Water for Chocolate gives all the magical realism literature fans crave from a Latina perspective while avoiding the misogyny of other authors.
