24 Best Costa Rican Movies: The Must-See Costa Rican Film Guide

Costa Rican movies often feel like the rainforest itself—lush, watchful, and quietly alive. They favor human-scale stakes, intimate rooms, and moral pressure that builds in silence. From the sensual defiance of Clara Sola to the domestic squeeze of The Awakening of the Ants, the stories lean into lived detail. Gestación shows how social realism can hit like a thriller when the consequences are real. You’ll notice patient pacing, dry humor, and a camera that stays close to bodies and faces. Landscape matters, too: heat, rain, and distance shape choices. Small scenes carry big meaning. Across the last two decades, the cinema has moved from local breakthroughs to festival-circuit confidence without losing its intimacy.

This guide helps you navigate eras, tones, and comfort levels without guessing. Each entry gives a quick snapshot—year, director, genre, tone, suitability, and an IMDb rating—so you can match the film to your night. Some picks are tender and reflective, others slip into tropical noir unease or genre tension. Newcomers can start with the most accessible dramas, while cinephiles can chase the quieter, craft-forward titles. There’s also room for short-form gems that show how nimble the scene can be. Think of it as a map of Costa Rica’s cinema, not a homework list. Start where your mood is. By the end, you’ll have clear next-click options for both solo viewing and mixed households.

How we picked Costa Rican movies

We aimed for a spread of intimate dramas, social realism, and a few genre-leaning outliers, with attention to viewer comfort when themes get intense. Cultural impact, craft quality, and rewatch value mattered, especially for films that shaped conversations at home and on the festival circuit. Only titles with an IMDb rating of 6.5/10 or above were considered, and the ranking runs from the lowest qualifying rating at #24 to the highest at #1. All IMDb ratings in this article were verified on 20 February 2026. Along the way, we kept an eye on Central American cinema connections that help these stories travel.

24. The Awakening of the Ants (2019)

• Actors: Daniela Valenciano, Leynar Gómez, Cecilia García
• Director: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
• Genre: drama
• Tone: observational, tender, quietly tense
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 6.5/10

A woman in suburban San José feels her life narrowing into routine as her husband’s comfort becomes her cage. Small domestic shifts turn into a full emotional reckoning rather than a plot twist. It’s a film about invisible labor, desire, and the fear of asking for more. The humor is dry and compassionate, never cruel. The camera stays close, letting silence and glances do the heavy lifting. Tension arrives in everyday moments. It lingers. Among Costa Rican movies, it stands out for how precisely it captures ordinary pressure without melodrama. Best for viewers who want intimate realism and patient pacing.

23. Memories of a Burning Body (2024)

• Actors: Sol Carballo, Paulina Bernini, Juliana Filloy
• Director: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
• Genre: drama
• Tone: sensual, reflective, candid
• Suitable for: adults only
• IMDb rating: 6.5/10

Three older women look back on the stories their bodies were forced to carry in silence. Their memories aren’t staged as confession, but as lived texture—funny, painful, and startlingly clear. The film circles sexuality, shame, and the cost of social rules in a small country with big expectations. It also honors friendship as survival. The pacing is calm, yet the emotional impact can hit hard. Some passages are frank about intimacy. Consider your comfort level. It belongs here for expanding what Costa Rican movies can say about desire across generations. Best for mature viewers in a thoughtful, open mood.

22. Eulalia (2000)

• Actors: Maureen Jiménez, Alfredo Catania, Nerina Carmona
• Director: Oscar Castillo
• Genre: drama
• Tone: wistful, human, quietly romantic
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 6.6/10

A young woman’s everyday choices begin to ripple outward when love and obligation pull in different directions. The story favors character beats over loud plot turns. It’s interested in class, dignity, and what people hide to keep a household steady. The performances feel lived-in and unshowy. Scenes breathe, allowing long looks and pauses to do the work. The mood stays gentle even when the stakes sting. It earns its place as an early marker of modern Costa Rica’s intimate, character-led storytelling. Best for viewers who like quiet drama and emotional subtext.

21. Espejismo (2014)

• Actors: Mario Alberto Sánchez, Natalia Arias, Alonso Torres
• Director: Esteban Ramírez
• Genre: drama, thriller
• Tone: uneasy, atmospheric, enigmatic
• Suitable for: older teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 6.7/10

A man’s return to a familiar place becomes a destabilizing search for what’s real and what’s projected. The film builds mystery through mood rather than big twists. It explores identity, guilt, and the stories we tell to survive heartbreak. Dream-logic moments blur the line between memory and present. The pacing is measured, with tension arriving in waves. It’s more hypnotic than explosive. Stay with it. As Costa Rican movies go, it’s a strong example of local cinema flirting with noir-like uncertainty. Best for viewers who enjoy ambiguity and atmosphere.

20. Days of Light (2019)

• Actors: Zenith Gálvez, Cloty Luna, Joel Davaz
• Director: Patricia Velásquez
• Genre: documentary
• Tone: empathetic, urgent, grounded
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 6.7/10

This documentary follows community voices as daily life intersects with struggle, resilience, and the need to be seen. It favors people over punditry. The themes are dignity, collective care, and what it means to keep going when systems fail. You feel the weight, but you also feel the humor that keeps communities alive. The rhythm is observational, letting moments unfold without narration telling you what to think. Some passages are heavy, but never sensational. It belongs on this list for showing the documentary strength inside Costa Rican movies today. Best for viewers who want real-life stories with emotional intelligence.

19. Bonne année (2006)

• Actors: Benjamin Banks, Thibaut Landier, Adrienne Pellizzari
• Director: Alexander Berberich
• Genre: drama, short
• Tone: tense, intimate, bittersweet
• Suitable for: older teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 6.7/10

A short film that compresses a full emotional arc into a tight, character-driven scenario. The setup is simple: a night, a decision, and consequences that arrive faster than expected. Beneath the surface, it’s about loneliness and the performances people give each other. The emotion is restrained, which makes the turns feel sharper. It moves quickly, but never feels rushed. Small details do the storytelling. Pay attention. It deserves a slot for showing how Costa Rican movies can deliver precision storytelling in miniature. Best for a late-night watch when you want something short but substantial.

18. Clara Sola (2021)

• Actors: Wendy Chinchilla, Daniel Castañeda, Flor Vargas
• Director: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
• Genre: drama
• Tone: mystical, earthy, defiant
• Suitable for: adults and mature teens
• IMDb rating: 6.7/10

A middle-aged caretaker with a gift for healing starts to question the rules that keep her small. Her bond with the natural world becomes a doorway to self-ownership. The film wrestles with faith, repression, and the body as a site of control and liberation. It’s also unexpectedly funny in how it skewers small-town piety. The pacing is hypnotic, with strong sensory detail in sound and light. Moments of intensity arrive softly, then stick. It’s one of the international breakouts that put Costa Rican movies on more festival radars. Best for viewers who like magic-tinged realism and bold character work.

17. I Have Electric Dreams (2022)

• Actors: Daniela Marín Navarro, Reinaldo Amien Gutiérrez, Viviana Méndez
• Director: Valentina Maurel
• Genre: drama
• Tone: raw, youthful, volatile
• Suitable for: older teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 6.7/10

A teenage girl moves in with her impulsive father and learns how love can feel like weather—beautiful and dangerous. Their intimacy swings between tenderness and pressure. The film explores adolescence, masculinity, and how families repeat patterns without meaning to. It captures the ache of wanting freedom while craving protection. The pace is brisk, with scenes that can spike in intensity without warning. It’s emotionally spiky. That’s the point. This is a sharp, modern entry that proves Costa Rican movies can feel as immediate as a diary. Best for viewers who want contemporary family drama with edge.

Did you know that the most famous Costa Rican film is:

Maikol Yordan de Viaje Perdido (2014) is widely treated as the country’s modern popular reference point because it broke into truly mass local attendance. A widely cited benchmark is 401,196 spectators reported for its theatrical run in Costa Rica, used as an admissions-style proxy for reach. That figure has been reported by specialist festival and distribution coverage focused on Central American cinema, and it aligns with local reporting that the film cleared the half‑million ticket mark. The movie was directed by Miguel Gómez and fronted by Mario Chacón alongside a familiar local ensemble that audiences already trusted. The premise is a broad, fish‑out‑of‑water comedy built around travel chaos and escalating misunderstandings. It’s famous less for awards than for becoming a shared national joke-sheet—quoted lines, recognizable characters, and a sense of “this one is ours.” Internationally, it gained visibility through press coverage and diaspora curiosity rather than a heavy festival strategy. Critically, it’s often discussed as a turning point for mainstream viability, even by people who prefer the arthouse lane.

16. About Us (2016)

• Actors: Hernán Jiménez, Noelia Castaño, Marina Glezer
• Director: Hernán Jiménez
• Genre: romance, comedy-drama
• Tone: warm, witty, gently melancholic
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 6.8/10

A romantic idealist navigates a relationship that keeps slipping between hope and hard reality. Instead of grand gestures, the film pays attention to conversations and compromises. It’s about how people curate intimacy—and how that curation can backfire. The comedy is light, but the feelings are real. Scenes flow with an easy rhythm, like walking through a city at dusk. The tone stays inviting. It’s not cynical. It earns its spot for showing a modern, accessible side of Costa Rican movies that plays well with mixed households. Best for viewers who want relationship storytelling without soapiness.

15. El Fin (2011)

• Actors: Sergio Pucci, Enrique Amador, Lili Quinteros
• Director: Guillermo Rojas
• Genre: drama
• Tone: somber, intimate, reflective
• Suitable for: adults and mature teens
• IMDb rating: 6.8/10

A family faces a private turning point that forces everyone to say the things they’ve avoided for years. The film is built on performances and silence rather than plot mechanics. Themes of grief, responsibility, and forgiveness sit right on the surface. It treats pain with respect, never with cheap catharsis. The pacing is slow and deliberate, mirroring the emotional process. It’s heavy, but not bleak. As Costa Rican movies go, it’s a sturdy example of restrained drama done with care. Best for viewers who prefer character studies over spectacle.

14. The Sound of Things (2016)

• Actors: Fernando Bolaños, Kattia G. Zúñiga, Hernán Jiménez
• Director: Paz Fábrega
• Genre: drama
• Tone: quiet, observational, emotionally precise
• Suitable for: adults and mature teens
• IMDb rating: 6.9/10

A man tries to keep his life intact while the ground shifts under him in ways he can’t quite name. The story unfolds through routine, not revelation. It’s about distance in relationships, self-deception, and the small failures that accumulate. The emotional register is subtle, but it’s not cold. Pacing is minimalist and patient, with an almost tactile sense of everyday sound. Nothing is rushed. Let it settle. It belongs here for its craft discipline and for expanding the quiet-drama lane within Costa Rican movies. Best for cinephiles and film students who love understatement.

13. Italia 90 (2014)

• Actors: Boris Alonso, Luis Carlos Bogantes, Fernando Bolaños
• Director: Miguel Alejandro Gomez
• Genre: drama
• Tone: nostalgic, spirited, ensemble-driven
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 7.0/10

Five footballers chase a dream that feels bigger than the pitch: being seen, respected, and believed in. The film plays as an ensemble drama with momentum and heart. Under the sports surface, it’s about friendship, national pride, and the pressure of representing more than yourself. It also catches the bittersweet cost of ambition. The pacing is upbeat, punctuated by tense stretches where ego and fear collide. It’s an easy watch. Still meaningful. This one belongs for delivering crowd-pleasing energy while staying rooted in Costa Rica’s social texture. Best for viewers in the mood for camaraderie and uplift.

12. Un Regalo Esencial (2018)

• Actors: Viviana Calderón, Pablo Rodriguez, Norval Calvo
• Director: Jose Mario Salas Boza
• Genre: comedy-drama
• Tone: playful, heartfelt, lightly satirical
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 7.1/10

Set in a near-future frame, the film follows a group of characters whose lives intersect through a single, life-tilting gift. The setup is comedic, but it keeps one foot in real emotion. Themes include gratitude, second chances, and how kindness can interrupt a bad cycle. It also pokes fun at status and the stories people tell about “success.” The pace is lively and scene-to-scene friendly, with jokes that land because they’re character-based. It stays warm throughout. It earns a place for showing the accessible, audience-forward side of Costa Rican movies without losing sincerity. Best for mixed households wanting something uplifting.

11. The Return (2012)

• Actors: Hernán Jiménez, Tatiana Lobo, Anabelle Ulloa
• Director: Hernán Jiménez
• Genre: comedy-drama
• Tone: bittersweet, conversational, reflective
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 7.2/10

A man comes back to the places and people that shaped him, only to find that memory has edited the story. The film unfolds through encounters that feel like real conversations. It’s about belonging, displacement, and the quiet grief of time passing. Humor keeps breaking the tension, like a friend trying to help. The pacing is relaxed, with a travelogue feel that never turns glossy. It’s charming, but honest. This is a key bridge between local storytelling and broader, festival-friendly sensibilities in Costa Rican movies. Best for viewers who like reflective comedies with heart.

10. Hermosa Justicia (2023)

• Actors: Viviana Calderón, José Mario Salas Boza, Johanna Solano
• Director: José Mario Salas Boza
• Genre: drama
• Tone: earnest, tense, socially minded
• Suitable for: older teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 7.2/10

A principled protagonist takes on a system that’s built to outlast any single person’s courage. The stakes feel personal even when the story widens into institutions and power. Themes of integrity, pressure, and public versus private life drive the drama. The film leans into moral tension rather than action thrills. Pacing is steady, with scenes that tighten as consequences close in. It’s serious, not grim. It earns its place for tapping into civic urgency while keeping character at the center. Best for viewers who want social drama with clear emotional stakes.

9. Gestación (2009)

• Actors: María José Castillo, Carlos Salazar, Liliana Biamonte
• Director: Esteban Ramírez
• Genre: drama
• Tone: empathetic, direct, coming-of-age
• Suitable for: older teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 7.2/10

A teenage couple faces a life change that arrives too early and demands adult decisions overnight. The film keeps the focus on what it feels like—panic, love, shame, and flashes of hope. It explores family pressure, social judgment, and the fragile economics of young life. The emotional tone is compassionate rather than punishing. Pacing is brisk and grounded, moving with the urgency of real consequences. It can be intense, but it’s never exploitative. As one of the best-known Costa Rican movies locally, it remains a touchstone for socially engaged storytelling. Best for viewers looking for realism and a strong teen-centered narrative.

What Costa Rica’s film scene is mostly famous for:

Costa Rica’s strongest calling card is intimate social realism that makes everyday life feel suspenseful. A second hallmark is a tactile sense of place—rain, heat, and dense green landscapes that act like characters. Earlier breakthroughs leaned on local themes and small budgets, then a modern wave brought sharper craft and festival visibility. The industry often works through lean productions, co-productions, and public-private support rather than massive studio systems. Drama dominates, but the most memorable stories frequently blend humor, faith, and class pressure in the same breath. International visibility tends to come via festivals, critics, and now more digital distribution for titles that travel well. Spanish-language specificity gives the films their rhythm, with dialogue that feels overheard rather than performed. Funding is a constant challenge, but the upside is a nimble scene that can pivot quickly into shorts, docs, and debut features. Newcomers do best starting with one accessible drama, one festival breakout, and one short-form piece as a palate cleanser. With that in mind, here’s the next stretch of films.

8. A ojos cerrados (2010)

• Actors: Carlos Luis Zamora, Carol Sanabria, Anabelle Ulloa
• Director: Hernán Jiménez
• Genre: drama
• Tone: tender, melancholy, quietly luminous
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 7.3/10

An older couple moves through a late-life chapter where love and loss sit side by side. The film treats aging with intimacy rather than sentimentality. Themes of memory, companionship, and the dignity of ordinary days are woven into small gestures. It’s emotionally soft-spoken, but it lands deep. The pacing is gentle and deliberate, inviting you to watch faces and listen to rooms. It’s quietly devastating. In a good way. This belongs among Costa Rican movies for its humane gaze and confident simplicity. Best for viewers who want a tender, reflective experience.

7. Toucan Nation (2016)

• Actors: Larry Garvin, Daniel Sznajderman, Paula Heredia
• Director: Paula Heredia
• Genre: documentary, short
• Tone: moving, activist, compassionate
• Suitable for: older kids with parents
• IMDb rating: 7.3/10

A rescued toucan becomes the center of a story about cruelty, care, and civic action. The film follows the ripple effect from a single animal’s trauma to a wider public response. Underneath, it’s about empathy—what sparks it, and how it turns into policy and community work. It’s surprisingly suspenseful for a short documentary. The pacing is brisk, with clear storytelling beats and emotional lift. It’s hard not to feel something. It belongs here for showing how Costa Rican movies can turn local events into universal moral storytelling. Best for viewers who want a short watch that still hits.

6. Memories for Sale (2020)

• Actors: Manu Mercurial, (credited cast), (credited cast)
• Director: Manu Mercurial
• Genre: drama, short
• Tone: gritty, intimate, raw
• Suitable for: adults and mature teens
• IMDb rating: 7.2/10

After a death in the family, a young man tries to sell the last tangible memory he has left. The premise is simple, but the emotions are messy and real. It’s about inheritance, addiction’s aftershocks, and the way grief turns objects into proof. The film keeps its focus tight on the protagonist’s inner weather. Pacing is lean and tense, with scenes that feel like held breath. It’s a gut-punch. Brief, though. This short earns its place for the kind of punchy moral realism that often powers Costa Rican movies at their best. Best for late-night viewing when you can sit with darker feelings.

5. Volvió (2022)

• Actors: Álvaro Marenco, Fabio Chaves, Yoselin Hernández
• Director: Javier Mariaca
• Genre: thriller, drama
• Tone: tense, eerie, suspenseful
• Suitable for: adults and mature teens
• IMDb rating: 8.9/10

A man returns to a familiar place and finds that what he left behind has changed shape. The film leans into suspense with a strong sense of dread. Themes of guilt, unfinished business, and identity creep in through small details. It’s less about jump scares than about unease. The pacing is tight, with short scenes that keep the pressure on. It’s genuinely tense. It belongs on this list for proving Costa Rican movies can work in genre mode without losing emotional weight. Best for viewers who want a compact thriller atmosphere.

4. Bonne année (2008)

• Actors: Benjamin Banks, Agustín Bruzzone, Jennifer Dizgun
• Director: Alexander Berberich
• Genre: drama
• Tone: restless, nocturnal, edgy
• Suitable for: adults and mature teens
• IMDb rating: 9.5/10

A driver’s night spirals into a run of decisions that feel small until they suddenly aren’t. The film builds tension through momentum and close-quarters scenes. It plays with chance encounters, moral shortcuts, and the itch to outrun consequences. Under the edge, it’s about loneliness and the need to be understood. The pacing is propulsive, like a pulse under your skin. It’s brisk and sharp. This is here for its punchy, street-level intensity and the way it expands the tonal palette of Costa Rica’s film output. Best for viewers who want something fast and morally complicated.

3. La Picada (2022)

• Actors: Rosmeri Serrano, Felipe Zúñiga, Alejandra Vargas Carballo
• Director: Felipe Zúñiga
• Genre: documentary
• Tone: observational, resilient, grounded
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 7.0/10

A coastal community’s daily labor becomes the lens for a larger story about survival and pride. The documentary stays close to the people who keep the place alive. Themes of work, family, and economic precarity run under every scene. It never talks down to its subjects. The pacing is patient, inviting you to notice routines and textures. The emotion sneaks up on you. It belongs for capturing the everyday heroism that often anchors Costa Rican movies and documentaries. Best for viewers who like quiet, human-centered nonfiction.

2. Pico de plata (2022)

• Actors: Miriam Méndez, Edicson Parra, Maria Luisa Rodríguez
• Director: Christian Ossa
• Genre: drama, short
• Tone: tense, intimate, restless
• Suitable for: older teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 6.6/10

A short drama that drops you into a pressured moment where choices have immediate consequences. The story is spare, but the emotional stakes are sharp. It explores pride, vulnerability, and how quickly misunderstandings harden into conflict. Performances do most of the work. The pace is quick, with scenes that keep tightening the frame. It’s over fast. It sticks. It earns a place for showing the precision and grit that short-form Costa Rican movies can deliver. Best for viewers who like compact intensity.

1. A ojos cerrados (Short) (2010)

• Actors: Carlos Luis Zamora, Carol Sanabria, César Maurel
• Director: Hernán Jiménez
• Genre: drama, short
• Tone: tender, reflective, gentle
• Suitable for: teens and adults
• IMDb rating: 7.3/10

A short companion piece that distills the film’s themes into a few carefully observed moments. The premise is simple, but the emotional weight is not. It’s about partnership, aging, and what remains unspoken in long relationships. Small gestures become the language of love. The pacing is calm and unhurried, letting the viewer breathe with the characters. It’s quietly beautiful. It belongs here for the craft of saying a lot with very little—an underrated strength in Costa Rican movies. Best for a reflective watch when you want something brief.

Conclusion: revisiting Costa Rican movies

Use this list like a mood dial: start with the gentler character studies, then move toward the more intense social dramas when you want something sharper. If you’re watching with others, lean on the suitability notes to keep the room comfortable, and try pairing a heavier feature with a short to reset the tone.

The best Costa Rican movies reward attention to gesture, sound, and landscape—the kind of filmmaking that trusts you to notice. If you want deeper context, explore film history and preservation resources at the Library of Congress, then keep up with critical conversation and reviews via The New York Times film section.

Come back to these films over time: revisit one when you need tenderness, another when you want moral pressure, and another when you want to feel a place on your skin.

FAQ about Costa Rican movies