Not so much a film as a TV series:

'Isabel', a Spanish RTE production, which follows the life of Queen Isabel to the throne of Spain. It has been playing on Sky Arts so may still be available in On Demand. If not seek it out. This is the kind of historical drama that the BBC did so well in the 1970s: brilliantly written, beautifully shot and great acting.

And if you like this then 'Gran Hotel', a kind of Miss Marple murder mystery set in a hotel in Santander, is also quality TV drama.

With the recent Scandinavian output (The Bridge, Borgen, The Killing, etc.), the French (Engrenages/Spiral) and now the Spanish contribution, I have to wonder what the BBC/ITV are doing. And all this material is superior (IMHO) to most contemporary Hollywood films.

In the spirit of Spinaltap, I would like to confirm that I am not involved in the corrupt theft of a global sport.