Fernando Arrabal Terán is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist and poet. Arrabal was born in Melilla, Spain, but settled in France in 1955. Arrabal has directed seven full-length feature films; he has published plays, novels, poetry collections, chapbooks, artist's books, and several essays.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 11, 1932 (94)
- Melilla, España
- Writer, actor and director
- 7 on Motif · 19 credits in all
What are Fernando Arrabal's films like?
Across their 7 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 2 · Wry 1 · Earnest 4
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 5
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 1
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1
Casual 1 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 1 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 5
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet1
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous5
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Fernando Arrabal's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 7 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Fernando Arrabal's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
19 credits, 7 with a Motif page; 15 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Children of The Devil (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
Avida (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)
Amours décolorées (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)
Borges: A Life in Poetry (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)
Adieu, Babylone!(1993)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Car Cemetery(1983)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Odyssey of the Pacific(1982)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
The Hamburg Syndrome (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1979)
Cinématon(1984)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
The Tree of Guernica (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1975)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Fando and Lis(1968)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Long Live Death (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)
Trap (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)
The Big Ceremonial (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)
Arrabal (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
He! Viva Dada (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1965)
Jede Stunde verletzt und die letzte tötet (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)
Career shape
Star power in the 49th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 19 titles from 1963 to 2010; peak year 2006.
Biggest box office
Fando and Lis (1968)
Highest rated
Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966)
Most popular right now
Adieu, Babylone! (1993)
Film career
Peak 2006 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1966Screen debut· Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?
How do Fernando Arrabal's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 40th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 7 titles are Mixed.
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the plot and story 29/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 46, detractors 14. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Fernando Arrabal work with?
People who share at least 2 of Fernando Arrabal's Motif titles; Ken Legargeant shares the most, 3.
- Ken LegargeantShared titles: Car Cemetery (1983), Odyssey of the Pacific (1982), I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse (1973)See all 3 shared titles with Ken Legargeant
- Romaine LegargeantShared titles: Car Cemetery (1983), Odyssey of the Pacific (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Romaine Legargeant