Abstract:

Stephen Krashen's theory of the Affective Filter as a key factor in the classroom involved in the learning process of students arose the question on how teachers implement materials analyzing the pupil's needs and the cultural context in which the language acquisition takes place.

Students whose affective filter was low are more open to the input and therefore more engaged into the teaching-learning process. Through this implication Krashen intended to make teachers and educators aware of the relevance of a low-anxiety environment which was considered at a lower level regarding the importance of the conveyance of a comprehensible input.

Moreover, in order to achieve a lower affective filter, the teacher-educator needs to be able, amongst others, to motivate his/her students to successfully perform tasks that nowadays might be presented through several means, owing to the new technologies that surround us.
Audiovisuals have been pointed out as one of the most effective means of conveying linguistic and cultural information, as well as the most engaging. However, the use of certain content without a previous analysis of the consequences that it can cause might lead to disappointing situations.

This paper aims to present cinema as one of well-known, powerful and at the same time controversial tools by examining two practical cases: the implementation of the Spanish films Biutiful, by Alejandro González, and Los lunes al sol, by Fernando León de Aranoa, exposing their weaknesses and strengths as well as the reasons of their failure or success.

Keywords:

Spanish cinema, second language acquisition, film, foreign languages, education.