By Stevie Tan Last updated: July 20, 2024

The Best Italian Movies on Hulu [Updated for June 2024]

Watching movies in Italian greatly improved my listening comprehension and showed me how Italians actually speak. It was the perfect addition to the language courses I took, which were missing that authenticity.

If you have a Hulu subscription and want to add an entertaining learning method to your language studies, keep reading. I’ll share some of the best Italian movies you can stream on Hulu right now.

Contents

• “Under the Tuscan Sun”
• “Io sono l’amore” (I Am Love)
• “A Chiara” (To Chiara)
• “In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis”
• “Made in Italy”
• Where to Find More Italian Movies Online 
• How to Learn Italian with Movies on Hulu
• And One More Thing...

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

“Under the Tuscan Sun”

IMDb

This is a charming story about a recently divorced woman who buys an old Italian villa on a whim. It’s the Italian version of Peter Mayle’s novel “A Year in Provence.” The film features heartwarming scenes of the Italian countryside, the Amalfi coast, a flag-throwing festival and a bountiful olive harvest.

The film is perfect for beginners or those who haven’t completely committed to learning the Italian language yet. You’ll get simple phrases and sentences for practical use without feeling overwhelmed. It will also make you fall in love with the characters and the Italian love of life.

“Io sono l’amore” (I Am Love)

IMDb

Emma is a Russian immigrant who moved to Italy after marrying a wealthy Italian man with a powerful, influential family. She’s a housewife living in Milan with her three beautiful children and has a life of comfort and luxury, but unfulfillment nags at her heart.

Suddenly, strong romantic chemistry arises when Emma meets her son’s friend Antonio. A forbidden love affair ensues, causing her to risk the life she’s built in Italy for excitement and passion. But nothing comes without a cost, and Emma’s life is on the edge of unraveling. 

“A Chiara” (To Chiara)

IMDb

This inspiring and emotional story is set in Calabria, Italy. Chiara is a 15-year-old girl whose life gets turned upside down when her father suddenly disappears. Her family provides many explanations, but Chiara refuses to accept them.

She sets out on a search for him, hoping to find out where he is and why he left. But the answer she gets shatters the image of the man she always thought of him to be. Chiara now has to decide between risking everything to protect her family and creating a new path for herself.

“In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis”

IMDb

This 2022 documentary film follows Pope Francis through a decade of traveling around the world. The film is made up of archival footage as the Pope visits areas that have experienced war and other hardships, offering compassionate and encouraging words in both Italian and Spanish. 

Unlike most documentaries that include narration and push for some kind of action, this one focuses on presenting the events as they’ve been captured on film. It’s an interesting look into a global figure and his stance on pertinent issues such as gay marriage, climate change and prison reform. 

“Made in Italy”

IMDb

While this one’s mostly in English, it will give you a peek into the life and culture of Tuscany with many gorgeous shots of the landscapes in this region. It also shows some hilarious moments of struggling to communicate across language barriers. 

There are a few major parallels between the movie and real life. Liam Neeson plays Robert and his son Jack in the movie is played by his son in real life, Micheál Richardson. Jack’s mother has passed away both in the movie and in real life, and the film touches on themes of grief and memory as Robert and Jack come together to fix up the Tuscan villa they inherited from her. 

Where to Find More Italian Movies Online 

If you miss your chance to watch these Italian movies on Hulu or you want more options to add to your watchlist, Netflix has a good selection of movies in Italian. 

You can also check out our list of movies available on various platforms that are great for Italian learners. These films cover a wide range of genres and time periods so there’s something for everyone. They also provide insight into the culture and history of the Italian language and its speakers.

Watching movies dubbed in Italian is a great option for beginners. You can watch a movie in English first or choose one you’re already familiar with and then watch it with Italian dubbing so you can focus on the language without getting lost in the plot. 

How to Learn Italian with Movies on Hulu

I used to think that simply watching a movie would make the language sink into my brain. Once I learned how to engage in active watching, my movie nights became much more effective at improving my language skills.

Here’s a good example of how you can break down an Italian movie’s scenes and dialogue to learn the language:

If you want to learn more Italian while watching movies, try following the 3 R’s. 

Repeat

It’s often been said that “repetition is the mother of skill.” Learning Italian is no different. This means repeating scenes and even entire movies until you know the lines by heart.

The key is to watch in a way that’s conscious and deliberate. After watching a movie once or twice, pick a scene and watch it over and over. Watch it with the subtitles in English first and then in Italian. Then, turn the subtitles off completely and listen without a crutch.

Each time you watch, aspects you didn’t catch before will become apparent. You may notice things about the tonality, cadence,  delivery or body language—all things Italian learners need to learn and practice.

Role-play

Active watching isn’t just about investing the time into watching a film again and again. It’s also about investing the energy into actually using the language. This is where “active” in “active watching” really comes in.

Immerse yourself in the movie by speaking and gesturing along with the actors. You can pause and rewind to repeat the lines until they feel natural and your pronunciation matches the actors’. Imagine yourself being in the scene and act out the lines based on the context.

In my experience, it’s best to do this role-playing in the comfort and privacy of your own home. It’s also more fun if you can find a language partner to role-play with. 

Record

Study after study points to the efficacy of writing for improving your memory. The mechanics of holding a pen or pencil and scribbling notes make whatever you’re writing about more accessible to the memory. Plus, by writing things down, you have a visible record of what you’ve learned.

When watching a movie in Italian, write down anything you’re confused about to look up later. Make a list of vocabulary words, phrases or lines and their translations and note where they appear. Write a summary of the movie or your favorite scene (in Italian!). You’ll be surprised by the impact of writing things down on your Italian.

By using these three R’s and focusing on active watching, you’ll pick up much more new language than by watching passively. Another great way to learn Italian is by using shorter clips of movies and other media with tools to support your learning. You can access an array of short Italian clips with learner support on FluentU.

I hope you enjoy these Italian movies and all they offer for your entertainment and learning. By following the suggestions above, your time spent watching them won’t be wasted. 

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing...

If you're as busy as most of us, you don't always have time for lengthy language lessons. The solution? FluentU!

Learn Italian with funny commericals, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:

FluentU helps you get comfortable with everyday Italian by combining all the benefits of complete immersion and native-level conversations with interactive subtitles. Tap on any word to instantly see an image, in-context definition, example sentences and other videos in which the word is used.

Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and review words and phrases with convenient audio clips under Vocab.

Once you've watched a video, you can use FluentU's quizzes to actively practice all the vocabulary in that video. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

FluentU will even keep track of all the Italian words you’re learning, and give you extra practice with difficult words. Plus, it'll tell you exactly when it's time for review. Now that's a 100% personalized experience!

The best part? You can try FluentU for free with a trial.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)