The 10 Most Underrated Penelope Cruz Movies, Ranked (From Least to Most Underrated)

Penélope Cruz has built a career that moves with ease between Spanish and English language cinema, working with filmmakers across Europe and the United States. Her filmography spans intimate character studies, psychological thrillers, ambitious melodramas, and sharp comedies, often anchored by specific details about time, place, and personal history.

This lineup looks across Spanish and international projects to spotlight titles where her work adds crucial texture to the story. You will find collaborations with frequent partners, literary adaptations, and festival standouts that show how consistently she invests each role with careful preparation, language flexibility, and a clear sense of character.

‘Ma Ma’ (2015)

Julio Medem directs this Spanish drama with Cruz as Magda, a schoolteacher who faces a sudden breast cancer diagnosis while raising her son. The film was produced in Spain with Cruz also serving as a producer, and it features costars Luis Tosar and Asier Etxeandia in key supporting roles that intersect with Magda’s treatment and family life.

The story follows Magda through medical decisions, work changes, and shifting relationships that come with illness and motherhood. Its focus stays close to everyday routines and hospital visits, and Cruz received a Goya Award nomination for Best Actress for the role.

‘Elegy’ (2008)

Isabel Coixet adapts Philip Roth’s novel ‘The Dying Animal’, casting Cruz as Consuela Castillo opposite Ben Kingsley. The film was produced by Lakeshore Entertainment and includes performances by Dennis Hopper, Patricia Clarkson, and Peter Sarsgaard, with a screenplay by Nicholas Meyer.

Set in New York academic and art circles, the plot tracks a relationship that evolves through health scares, family friction, and professional obligations. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and uses gallery spaces and classrooms as recurring settings that frame Consuela’s choices.

‘Don’t Move’ (2004)

Sergio Castellitto directs and stars in this adaptation of his own novel, with Cruz as Italia in an Italian language performance. The production was mounted in Italy, and Cruz performed the role in Italian, working with a team that emphasized physical transformation through makeup and costume.

The narrative unfolds around an emergency room crisis that opens into extended flashbacks, placing Italia’s story alongside questions of class and consent. Cruz won the David di Donatello Award for Best Actress for her performance, and the film was widely released in Italy with additional festival play abroad.

‘Official Competition’ (2021)

Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat direct this Spanish Argentine production with Cruz as filmmaker Lola Cuevas, joined by Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez. The movie explores a wealthy entrepreneur’s plan to fund a prestige project, and it was shot in controlled rehearsal spaces and studio environments that match the story’s focus on process.

The plot follows rehearsals that become elaborate exercises, capturing table reads, blocking sessions, and on set tests that reveal rivalries. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and rolled out theatrically in Spain with subsequent international releases on both cinema and streaming platforms.

‘Broken Embraces’ (2009)

Pedro Almodóvar’s film casts Cruz as Lena across intertwined timelines with Lluís Homar, Blanca Portillo, and José Luis Gómez. The production shot in Madrid and the Canary Islands and features a score by Alberto Iglesias, continuing a long running collaboration.

The story layers a present day mystery with footage from an unfinished film titled ‘Girls and Suitcases’, creating a movie within a movie structure. The film premiered in competition at Cannes and uses editing room scenes, archival reels, and location returns to trace how the characters’ professional and personal histories connect.

‘Blow’ (2001)

Ted Demme directs this biographical crime film based on Bruce Porter’s nonfiction book ‘Blow’, with Cruz as Mirtha Jung and Johnny Depp as George Jung. The production recreated period locations across California and Mexico, using cars, costumes, and music cues that match the timeline of the drug trade.

The plot follows Jung from small scale smuggling to large operations that intersect with the Medellín Cartel. Courtroom scenes, prison sequences, and family milestones structure the rise and fall arc, and the film earned a strong international box office over its theatrical run.

‘Volver’ (2006)

Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, this ensemble drama features Cruz as Raimunda alongside Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, and Yohana Cobo. The production set many scenes in La Mancha and Madrid, using neighborhood streets, modest apartments, and a small restaurant to anchor the action.

The story blends a family disappearance, a hidden death, and a mother’s return, linking domestic work with long buried secrets. The film premiered at Cannes, where the female cast received the Best Actress award together and Almodóvar won for screenplay, and Cruz later received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

‘Open Your Eyes’ (1997)

Alejandro Amenábar directs this Spanish psychological thriller with Cruz as Sofía and Eduardo Noriega as César. Released in Spain as ‘Abre los ojos’, the film later inspired the English language remake ‘Vanilla Sky’, in which Cruz reprised her role.

The narrative mixes romance, facial disfigurement, and experimental cryonics, moving between dreamlike sequences and clinical rooms. Shifts in identity are handled through abrupt cuts and mirrored images, and the film’s nonlinear structure encourages viewers to track clues across repeated scenes.

‘All About My Mother’ (1999)

Pedro Almodóvar’s drama includes Cruz as Sister Rosa with a principal cast led by Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, and Antonia San Juan. The production shot in Madrid and Barcelona and features recurring theater settings that echo the story’s themes.

The plot follows a grieving mother who reconnects with friends and former partners while caring for Rosa. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and incorporates references to ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘All About Eve’ within its stage centered sequences.

‘The Sea Inside’ (2004)

Alejandro Amenábar directs this Spanish drama starring Javier Bardem as Ramón Sampedro, with Cruz as Julia, a lawyer who documents Sampedro’s case and manages her own medical challenges. The production filmed in Galicia and used extensive age makeup and prosthetics to portray Sampedro across decades.

The film chronicles Sampedro’s legal fight for the right to end his life and the relationships that frame his final decisions, including friendships with Julia and Rosa. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and collected multiple Goya Awards across major categories.

Tell us which Penélope Cruz titles you would add to the list and share your picks in the comments.