One of the most popular and acclaimed films from Sundance 2025 was Isabel Castro’s “Selena y Los Dinos”, a musical portrait of “The Queen of Tejano Music” and the band that helped create her signature sound that combined cumbia with Latin pop to create something truly unique.
In fact film was such a hot property that Sundance and the filmmakers had to pull “Selena y Los Dinos” from Sundance’s online viewing platform after fans began showing clips from the film that they had recorded from their screens.
Castro previously directed “Mija,” and she brings a particularly sensitive and appreciative perspective to what Selena Quintanilla accomplished, before her unthinkable murder at age 23. She leans into how much of a family affair Los Dinos actually was, with Selena’s manager as her father, her brother as her producer and her sister as her drummer.
This is a documentary that doesn’t focus at all on the circumstances of her death and is more interested in celebrating and recognizing the impact of Selena’s life. As such, it spends considerable time delving into the cultural complexities of her career: Like many Tejano families, Quintanilla’s did not speak Spanish. But a market for her among white America was elusive, so she learned Spanish as her career took off after incidents such as being unable to speak to the audience at a concert in Mexico.
Like IndieWire freelancer Esther Zuckerman wrote in his review of Sundance“You see when Selena herself realizes how she has to shape herself for success. She learns Spanish so she can hold her own in any language. Interested in fashion design, she creates her own iconic look – the sparkly bras and high-waisted pants.”
“As the film nears the end of Selena’s life, you realize that time is running out for Castro to get into the whole drama of her death. But then it’s almost a relief when you realize that Castro won’t spend the time reframing it. The name ‘Yolanda’ – a reference to Yolanda Saldívar, the fan-turned-murderer – is only a choice the killer made once. by some power, leaving Selena responsible for her story.”
“What lingers is the utter sadness that this woman, who broke so much ground and was set to break so much more, is no longer around. In the faces of her family members and her bandmates, you can see how raw their grief still is. But”Selena and Dinos“is not just a tribute, it’s a living argument for Selena’s humanity, as well as her status as a legend.”
Netflix will begin streaming “Selena y Los Dinos” on Monday, November 17. Check out the film’s first trailer below.
