The destinies of modern Spain seem unavoidable intermingled with filmic expression: The entry-ticket of the Spanish avant-garde to the international stage was a film, Un Chien Andalou; Franco’s ideological manifesto for his idiosyncratic blend of fascism took the shape of a movie screenplay, Raza; Spain’s transition to democracy was faithfully recorded in films that were a product of those very circumstances—the Almodovarian movida being the most prominent example. By examining both films and critical essays, this course will explore the role of cinema as simultaneous producer and product of the ambivalent identities of modern Spain.