Are you studying the Portuguese language? Why not watch some films to test what you already know and deepen your understanding?
Let’s explore 12 entertaining Brazilian and Portugal’s movies to learn Portuguese.
Learning a foreign language opens the door to new horizons. The benefits are indisputable. It improves your knowledge of the world and the many people and cultures that inhabit it.
Fluency can help you build confidence, support immigration, study abroad, find language jobs, and leverage the cognitive advantages of bilingualism.
Language learning has expanded beyond the conventional study model.
These days, people are exploring different avenues to make their language-learning approaches more comfortable and exciting.
One way to do that is by watching films.
There are plenty of advantages to studying Portuguese. You can take your learning to the next level by watching movies from Brazil, Portugal, and other Lusophone countries.
Why Watching Movies Is Good For Learning Portuguese
Do you know you can get tired of studying your language materials?
Sometimes, you glance at your clock periodically, especially when you are fatigued.
In short, it is sometimes difficult to focus on your Portuguese language textbooks.
Once that happens, helpful information starts to disappear from your mind, and it becomes challenging to memorize even a single line.
That’s how tiring and frustrating it can get when you rely solely on conventional language learning techniques and materials while studying Portuguese.
But with watching movies to learn Portuguese, the story is entirely different.
Watching Brazilian and Portuguese movies gives you the break you need without pausing your language-learning journey. It makes you feel relaxed and immersed in learning your favorite tongue.
You get to flow with the language; its culture and movies give you just that.
When you watch Portuguese films, you will become more acquainted with the two major European and Brazilian Portuguese dialects.
You will also gain exposure to different Portuguese accents, slang, and vocabulary. This will provide you with listening practice and motivation to continue learning.
Although learning Portuguese is beneficial, the movie alone is not enough. It would also help to have resources such as books, audio lessons, and, of course, a teacher.
It is better to enroll at a Portuguese institute in different parts of the world, either offline or online.
Where to Watch Portuguese and Brazilian Movies?
You can find many Portuguese movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Moreover, you can watch several original films and TV series in Brazilian and European Portuguese on various streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon, and more. Some flicks are also available on YouTube.
If you are at an elementary or intermediate level, I would suggest first seeing it with Portuguese subtitles.
You can watch it again without subtitles. It helps you understand sentence formation, pronunciation, and dialogues in the proper context.
12 Best Immersive & Enjoyable Movies to Learn Portuguese
The film industry of Brazil and Portugal is a popular form of entertainment. Cinemas in these two nations have consistently won significant international festival prizes and awards.
The growing recognition has generated increasing interest in films produced in these two countries.
So, with no further ado, let’s get on the list.
Here are some of the best 12 Portuguese and Brazilian movies to help you learn Portuguese and get started.
1. In Vanda’s Room (No Quarto Da Vanda) — 2000
Here is one of the most enchanting Portuguese movies that reveals the nature of the criminal underworld in Portugal.
It allows Portuguese people to see firsthand what it takes to live in the ghetto.
As directed by Pedro Costa, the film tells the story of life in the slum (the Lisbon low-cost housing).
It showcases the harsh conditions of life and how it forces people to cope with drug warlords and poverty.
These were the conditions the country experienced during the dictatorship periods before the Carnation Revolution.
While the film isn’t easy to watch, it is packed with vocabulary and expressions, making it ideal for intermediate and advanced language learners.
2. Central Station (Central do Brasil) — (R) 1998
Any movie that won an Academy Award is worth watching, as Central Station is.
Central Station tells the story of Dora, a schoolteacher. She is in the business of writing personal letters for profit.
Dora writes for illiterate passengers who travel by train and need to communicate with family and friends but lack the skills to do so.
The story takes a turn when she gets entangled in the life of a young letter-writing client.
This movie will introduce language students to the Carioca Portuguese dialect, based in Rio de Janeiro.
Portuguese is one of the easiest languages to learn. Its lack of slang also makes it a fabulous option for beginner learners.
3. April Captains (Capitães de abril) — 2000
This film follows the story of a schoolteacher who made every effort to free two of her students after learning that the secret police were detaining them.
She attempted to help them out by using her brother, a minister in the government.
The film is famous for its clear depiction of life before the Carnation Revolution, which ended fascism and war in Portugal.
The highly regarded Portuguese film will help you gain a manageable vocabulary and sentences.
4. Lisbon Story (O Céu de Lisboa) — 1994
It is one of the best films ever to come from Portugal.
It is an exciting movie that tells the story of a light engineer who is invited by a friend, a filmmaker, to Lisbon to help him with his upcoming movie project.
He came to the city, oblivious to the life-changing love adventure waiting for him.
The Lisbon story is highly romantic, musical, and full of dramatic scenes.
Portuguese is not a complex language. The film’s accent is friendly and easy for novices to understand.
5. Abraham’s Valley (Vale Abraão) — 1993
It is a romantic and compelling film that tells the story of a beautiful young girl who is the most desired yet hard-to-get woman in the small village where she lives.
Eventually, she married a man twice her age. After that, she couldn’t stop herself from meeting other people.
It was an astonishing story of one girl fleeing self-fulfillment and happiness.
This is a must-watch movie if you are preparing for official Portuguese language tests such as the CAPLE or the Brazilian CELPE-Bras.
6. Alice — 2005
If you want to view something tragic and outrightly depressive, Alice is it.
Alice is a drama about a father (Mario) who is obsessed with his missing beautiful daughter (Alice), which negatively affects Luisa, Alice’s mother.
Luisa reacted to the loss with sadness, apathy, and listlessness. It led to a tale of emotional disturbance and the extreme changes and destruction it caused.
It is a highly accentual movie with a precise vocabulary for beginners and pre-intermediate-level students.
Furthermore, it is a fabulous choice for practicing your Portuguese listening skills.
7. Artificial Paradise (Paraísos Artificiais) — 2012
Artificial Paradise is a film that introduces you to the natural beauty of the Brazilian landscape and seaside life.
The film follows a DJ and her party-crazy friends as they travel to a premier beach in Brazil for a music festival.
Along the way, they experience a series of pleasurable and memorable moments.
The language in this movie is casual, with several useful Brazilian Portuguese expressions for a beginner learner.
It is one of the must-watch movies to learn Portuguese, which is uniquely Brazilian.
8. City of God (Cidade de Deus) — (R) 2002
This list cannot be complete without mentioning the City of God. The storytelling is at its most exquisite!
It is my all-time favorite movie for learning Portuguese and perhaps one of the best foreign-language films ever.
It has won dozens of awards and several more nominations, including an Oscar.
Set in Rio de Janeiro, City of God is about two boys who chose different and opposite career paths. While one decides to be a drug dealer, the other pursues a career as a photographer.
The director filled the film with twists and turns, highlighting incredible life choices.
You will appreciate the simple vocabulary of the modern Brazilian mixed with European Portuguese.
It is a good film for upcoming language enthusiasts.
9. Amália — 2008
This biography should appeal to you if you love music and great singers. Amalia is a film that tells the true story of Amalia, Portugal’s renowned fado singer.
Her music continues to resonate with millions of Portuguese people today.
The film showcases Amalia’s life and includes her original recordings.
During her lifetime, the sensational singer sold over 30 million records, and this talkie delves into what life has been like for this great singer, famously called the “Queen of Fado.”
10. Arabian Nights (O Inquieto) — 2015
Arabian Nights is a three-part film series (Volume 1: The Restless One, Volume 2: The Desolate One, and Volume 3: The Enchanted One) that was recreated to tell meaningful stories about Portuguese history.
The movie is an epic cinematic rendition that features excellent, highly engaging dramatic scenes.
This feature film is ideal for people who want to learn the European Portuguese dialect.
The Portuguese in this movie is overly exaggerated and evenly paced, making it ideal for language lovers of all levels.
11. Mysteries of Lisbon (Mistérios de Lisboa) — 2010
Mysteries of Lisbon is a masterpiece created by Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz.
The film is based on Camilo Castelo Branco’s novel of the same name, published in 1854. The plot is slow, but the dialogue is fantastic.
Several characters narrate the 272-minute film. The motion picture meticulously recreates the world of nobility in Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy.
It will give you a glimpse of history’s most formal and authentic way.
The visually stunning film uses complex words and confusing sentences that a new learner might find manageable.
You can see it with the subtitles!
12. Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) — (2007)
Elite Squad, also known as Tropa de Elite, is a Brazilian crime and action film directed by José Padilha.
The film is set in the late 1990s and is about the leader of Rio de Janeiro’s Special Police Operations Squad, who is looking for his replacement as he plans to retire soon.
But his final operation needs him to take down notorious drug dealers & criminals in the slum area before Pope arrives in Brazil.
The film features many fast-paced, action-packed scenes, so it may not be easy to follow.
If you like this flick, you should also check out its sequel, Elite Squad 2 (The Enemy Within).
Final Thought on Learning Portuguese with Films
There is no better, more relaxed way to learn to speak Portuguese than by watching Brazilian and Portuguese movies.
It is an effective way to practice Portuguese and a great moment you cannot afford to overlook.
This list, of course, does not cover every Portuguese film. Instead, this can be a starting point for some excellent movies to learn Portuguese, offering a glimpse of Brazilian and Portuguese cinema.
Get on with it, and enjoy the rest of your language-learning process.