The story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, best known as simply Selena, is one of triumph,
inspiration, and tragedy.
Selena's musical career began when she was just ten years old, and it wasn't long before
she was a bona fide superstar, becoming the most successful Latin artist of the 1990s.
That particular feat is even more impressive considering her tragic end came halfway through
the decade; she was gunned down by her friend and former employee at the age of 23 in 1995.
Selena's story has lived on since then, of course.
In 1997, a film about her life and career starring Jennifer Lopez debuted to critical
acclaim.
And in 2020, a new series about the legend of Selena is set to debut starring The Walking
Dead's Christian Serratos in the lead role.
While Selena's story is totally unique, here are some movies on Netflix with similar themes
that you can check out, all so you can get in the mood for the newest version of Selena.
The work of surrealist artist Frida Kahlo is nearly as iconic as the artist herself.
And just as Selena became one of the most well-known and successful Mexican-American
musicians of her era, so too has Frida Kahlo become one of the most well-known Mexican
artists ever.
Fortunately, the movie chronicling her life and career has earned a solid reputation from
film critics and audiences alike.
Directed by Julie Taymor, Frida is visually striking, providing viewers with an enthralling
and entertaining look into the life of an artist whose own image has become synonymous
with the intersection of feminism and art.
As Kahlo, Salma Hayek delivers a career-best performance, and matches Taymor's vibrant
visual sensibilities with her own intensity and commitment.
Joined by Alfred Molina as her romantic partner, artist Diego Rivera, Hayak embodies Kahlo
in a way that's sure to stick in your mind.
"I give you five seconds to get out of here.
One, two."
You may not know the name Blaze Foley, but this 2018 film, co-written and directed by
Ethan Hawke, aims to remedy that.
Starring Ben Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Sam Rockwell, and country legend Kris Kristofferson, among
others, Blaze tells the story of Michael David Fuller, an Arkansas-born musician whose burgeoning
career as singer-songwriter Blaze Foley was tragically cut short 1989.
Unlike Selena, whose outsize legacy was easy to see at a glance, Foley's impact on country
music is more widely felt than known.
Foley's status as a cult figure within country music - whose songs have been covered by huge
stars like Willie Nelson, but who might otherwise be unknown to general country music fans - makes
for a fascinating yet melancholy film.
Blaze paints an intimate portrait of Foley, informed by the memoir of Sybil Rosen, his
one-time girlfriend and self-proclaimed muse.
We get close-up and intimate snapshots of Foley's life and career, with all of its ups
and downs.
"Foley, you're drunk.
Get off of my stage.
Get out of here."
"I came a long way to play music at your bar, brother."
"Get the hell off of my stage.
Okay, okay, okay!
God!"
The incredible chemistry between Ben Dickey and Alia Shawkat, who play Foley and Rosen,
respectively, is part of what makes Blaze so memorable.
But the film's music, pulled from Foley's discography, is reason enough to watch.
Whether you're a longtime fan of Foley or just hearing about him for the first time,
Blaze is a hidden musical biopic worth unearthing.
"There are no goodbyes, just see-you-laters."
While Selena's story is that of a Mexian-American rising to fame and fortune through music,
I'm No Longer Here is something like that tale's equal opposite.
This Spanish-language movie tells the tale of Ulises, a music-obsessed teenager from
Mexico who escapes to America after witnessing violent gang activity.
But instead of finding a land of opportunity, he encounters a bitter combination of hostility
and homelessness.
Throughout the film, Ulises struggles to survive in New York City, despite having escaped an
actual death sentence that surely awaited him back home.
I'm No Longer Here has earned rave reviews from both critics and audiences, with special
attention being paid to the deeply affecting performance from its lead, Juan Daniel Garcia
Trevino.
Moreover, the movie's emphasis on Ulises and his friends' love of music - specifically
Cumbia Rebajada, a slowed-down version of Latin America's traditional Cumbia folk music
- is another high point in I'm No Longer Here.
Selena may show how music can be the path to success, but I'm No Longer Here reveals
that when the world has taken just about everything from you, sometimes music is all you have
left.
A musician doesn't have to meet a tragic end for their story to be fascinating.
Take, for example, Rombai and Marama: two bands from Uruguay that quickly became the
country's most popular musical acts.
In 2016, a documentary about the groups premiered, offering an intimate glimpse into what it
takes to keep two successful groups in South America going.
What viewers get in the film is a positive, exciting portrait of fame and fortune in the
Cumbia music scene in Latin America.
But not everything is ideal; the subjects of the film - the members of both Rombai and
Marama - provide realistic glimpses into the risks they took to pursue music, the disagreements
they suffered with their family members, and their fears about how short a ride this particular
train to stardom might end up being.
More than anything, if you're hungry for catchy tunes and a musical subculture you may not
know much about, Marama – Rombai: The Journey is a great trip to take while you're still
sitting on your living room couch.
Biopics detailing the rises and falls of world-famous musicians can sometimes feel like watching
a rerun; the more familiar the audience is with the subject, the harder it is for the
film to offer legitimate surprises or twists.
That's part of what makes El Potro: Unstoppable so appealing.
Chances are pretty good most people aren't terribly familiar with the Argentinian music
star Rodrigo, also known as "El Potro," or "The Colt."
Born Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno, El Potro spent his whole short life in front of cameras and
audiences, singing his heart out.
The film based on his life follows his meteoric rise and his tumultuous fall.
And throughout the film, the soundtrack absolutely pumps with cuarteto tunes - a style of Spanish-language
music that rose to prominence in El Potro's hometown of Cordoba, Argentina.
If you like to dance, watching El Potro: Unstoppable will be worth it just for the music alone.
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