Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was killed 30 years ago on the afternoon of March 31, 1995 in Corpus Christi, Texas, by Yolanda Saldívar.
While she has been gone for three decades, Selena’s memory and legacy live on. The singer has been portrayed and remembered numerous times on big, small and portable screens, and it can be hard to keep track of all the media that’s out there. We have compiled a sampling of movies and shows that explore the Texas icon’s life, death and legacy.
‘Selena’ (1997)
This Jennifer Lopez-led biopic, released just two years after the “Como la Flor” artist’s death, is perhaps the most enduring of all the many Selena-centric pieces of media. The movie’s impact has been so profound that in 2021 it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry due to its cultural significance.
Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gregory Nava, the movie chronicles Selena’s rise to fame from her early childhood into her young adulthood and culminates in her untimely death. Led by a career-altering performance by Lopez as Selena and a scene-stealing Edward James Olmos as Selena’s demanding father, Abraham Quintanilla, the film was developed with the approval of the Quintanilla family, who wanted to dispel rumors that were being spread about the singer and tell what they believed was the true story of Selena.
The Times’ film critic Kenneth Turan gave the movie a mixed review at the time of its release.
“In the tradition of ‘Lady Sings the Blues,’ ‘The Rose,’ ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ and other sudsy tales of singers and their woes, ‘Selena’ is in part a completely predictable Latino soap opera that should satisfy those who complain they aren’t making movies like they like used to,” he wrote.
“Though Lopez lip-syncs to Selena’s voice, she makes use of her background as a dancer (she was a Fly Girl on ‘In Living Color’) to project an irresistible joy in performance that both does justice to Selena’s appeal and helps burn away the film’s saccharine haze,” Turan wrote in praise of the film. “‘Selena’ makes full use of Lopez’s charisma in its opening scene, a re-creation of the singer’s triumphant appearance before the biggest Astrodome crowd ever just a few weeks before her death. From the chaos backstage through Selena’s solo walk through a curtain to the rapture of her adoring fans, it’s just the first of the film’s string of pure Hollywood moments.”
“Selena” is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
‘Selena: The Series’ (2020/2021)
Much like the 1997 film, “Selena: The Series” was developed and authorized by the Quintanilla family. The show also follows the astronomical rise of the Tejano music star and the abrupt end to her life.
“The Walking Dead” actor Christian Serratos takes on the daunting role of Selena in the series — a role she felt personally connected to and had great reverence for.
“We both grew up Mexican American and struggled with things like language and wanting to feel included,” Serratos told The Times in 2020. “And she had been trying to break out into her industry for so long, and oftentimes, it wasn’t easy for her because she was a young girl, she was a Latina … and all of the things that made her a legend and made her a star started when she was a kid. I felt her so desperately trying to convince people that her ideas were innovative, and she trusted in herself so much, and I really admire that.”
“Selena: The Series” is available to stream on Netflix.
‘Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them’ (2024)
This two-part docuseries claims to provide a new perspective on the death of Selena directly from her killer, Yolanda Saldívar. The project is protoypical of most true-crime documentaries that fill streaming services.
The series — made without the involvement of the Quintanilla family — focuses more on Saldívar’s side of the story and the allegations she has leveled against Selena.
“After so many years, I think it’s time to set the record straight,” says Saldívar in a trailer for the show, speaking from inside Mountain View Prison in Gatesville, Texas, where she’s been since 1995.
The clip points to “secrets” Quintanilla held, and based on the tone, it’s heavily implied that those secrets are dark in nature. “This is not a simple case of murder,” a family member of Saldívar says.
The series has been criticized for seemingly not revealing anything new about the dynamics between Selena and Saldívar and for exploiting Selena’s memory.
“Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them” is available to stream on Peacock.
‘Don Juan DeMarco’ (1995)
This ’90s film starring Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando and Faye Dunaway tells the story of a young man (Depp) who believes he is the mythical womanizer Don Juan and his mental health alongside his psychiatrist (Brando).
So how is this about Selena? Well, it’s not. But the movie does include Selena’s first and only feature film acting credit. She died a week before the film’s premiere on April 7, 1995.
The movie was mostly well received in its time and got an Oscar nomination for original song for Bryan Adams’ “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” from the film’s soundtrack. Selena performed a version of the song alongside a mariachi band as part of her cameo in the film.
“Don Juan DeMarco” is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Youtube.
‘E! True Hollywood Story: Death of Innocence’(2021)
This episode of the documentary series examines celebrities whose lives were cut short due to fan violence such as Selena, singer Christina Grimmie and actor Rebecca Schaeffer.
Included in the program are interviews with some of Selena’s former music associates, her costume/fashion designer and her husband Chris Pérez.
The relationship between Selena and Yolanda Saldívar plays a defining role in the episode, which is filled with in-depth analysis about the psychological state of Saldívar.
“E! True Hollywood Story: Death of Innocence” is available to stream on the E! website.
‘Corpus: A Home Movie About Selena’ (1999)
This documentary film by Oscar-nominated director Lourdes Portillo uses news coverage, interviews, home videos and concert footage to discuss the legacy of Selena in the years since her death.
Through fan interviews, the movie captures the saintlike devotion that people had to the “La Carcacha” singer, not only because of her musical abilities but because of what she seemed to stand for morally and in her physical appearance as a model for the acceptance of nonwhite bodies.
The film also engages in a scholarly debate about whether the lasting legacy of Selena has had more of a positive or negative impact.
One notable Selena critic in the movie is author Sandra Cisneros.
“There’s some things she stands for that I think is very dangerous,” Cisneros said. “She’s telling young people to go up there and be a 12-year-old sexy child with your little bustier. I’m sorry, that’s not a model I would want for a young woman or for anyone related to me, or a child, if I had one.
“And the fact that the only outlet you have is to be this sexual being singing songs that aren’t even that wonderful, but that’s the only outlet we have here and that you have to die before you’re 25 years old — that that makes you successful. That’s how you get on the cover of Texas Monthly, you either get bludgeoned, raped or shot.”
The documentary’s release was contested by the Quintanillas as they felt several comments — some of which were proved false — in the film made by some of the interviewed academics were out of line.
Portillo’s movie was dubbed “an ugly film” by Abraham Quintanilla.
“Corpus: A Home Movie About Selena” is available to stream on Kanopy (free with a library card).
‘Selena Remembered’ (1997)
Narrated by Edward James Olmos and produced by the record label EMI Latin, this documentary follows the life trajectory of Selena, much like the 1997 biopic did. The hourlong feature includes interviews with all the members of Selena’s immediate family as well her bandmates, collaborators and music executives who helped cultivate and elevate Selena’s sound.
Musical performances and rare behind-the-scenes footage that show a more whimsical side of the singer are also featured in the documentary.
The film serves as an ideal companion piece to the 1997 scripted film.
“Selena Remembered” is available to stream on Youtube.
‘The Last Concert’ (2017)
The Houston Astrodome. The arrival by horse carriage. The purple jumpsuit. The bangs. The disco medley.
This film is a straightforward taping of Selena’s last concert at the Astrodome on Feb. 26, 1995, just one month before her death. The footage displaying the singer’s undeniable talent more clearly showcases why her legacy lives on than any other movie on this list.
Selena singing “I Will Survive” to 67,000 people holds up as not only an anthem of female empowerment but also a foreshadowing the lasting memory of the singer in the public consciousness all these years later.
“The Last Concert” is available to stream on Apple Music and to rent on Amazon Prime Video.