17 February 2025: Spanish Tutor/LLA Jason writes about the film Money Heist
My Experience with Money Heist
If anyone remembers, back in 2017 or so, La Casa de Papel (localized as Money Heist in English) absolutely dominated Netflix. It follows a ragtag group of criminals and thieves under the guidance of The Professor as they infiltrate The Royal Mint of Spain. Though it is a show about a heist, its principal focus is on the relationships and drama between the thieves, their hostages, and the police officers outside. It’s a thrilling show with lots of twists and turns, and it’s a good watch in any language.
I was seven years late to the craze, as I only watched it in the summer of 2024 so I could keep up with my Spanish. It’s no wonder the whole world fell in love with the thieves with city names and Dalí masks. Its telenovela roots show, but the drama and characters embrace it with thrills and humor that keep it entertaining. Also, its unique storytelling style with Tokyo as an unreliable narrator lends itself well to the plot and its characters. Their motivations and backstories make every character feel unique and interesting, whether you love them or hate them. My personal favorite character is Nairobi (Alba Flores), the thieves’ head of quality control.
My attachment to the show runs a bit deeper than my surface-level enjoyment of the plot and characters. As a second-language learner, I wanted to watch it only in Spanish with Spanish subtitles. I’ve watched movies in Spanish with subtitles, like Coco and También la Lluvia, but this was the first show targeted towards adults that I had the confidence in watching entirely in Spanish. I admit it was hard at first. Tokyo talks very fast and their accents took some getting used to. But as I continued with the show and learned more about the characters, I became more engrossed in the show to the point where I kind of forgot it was in another language.
Ultimately, I’m proud of myself for being able to understand and connect with the show, even if I had to look up a few words, and it’s a great watch whether or not you’re learning Spanish. Right now, I’m rewatching the show with my partner, with English subtitles this time, and it’s fun pointing out what I didn’t notice on my first watch or things that didn’t translate as well into English. When learning a language, it’s always nice to challenge yourself, and when a phenomenon like Money Heist comes up, that challenge can be both fun and rewarding.