New Netflix movie is a romantic comedy shot entirely in Yucatán
A new romantic comedy, which dropped on Netflix today, is chock full of scenes shot in Mérida. “Don’t Blame Karma!” is in Spanish, and the streaming service offers the movie dubbed in English. But what you’ll see will be 100% Yucatán.
First, the plot: In short, the protagonist Sara (Aislinn Derbez, daughter of famous actor and Tren Maya opponent Eugenio Derbez) is a frustrated fashion designer struggling to keep her souvenir business in Mérida afloat. Then a former crush named Aarón somehow becomes a famous musician and comes back into town. She also thinks she’s the victim of some particularly bad karma — especially since Aarón quickly becomes engaged to Sara’s sister. A series of romantic mishaps follow.
But good luck following the plot. You might be distracted by some familiar Yucatán scenery — and some places you might have trouble placing.
The principal photography occurred between July and August 2021, somehow dealing with pandemic protocols. Scene-stealers include La Negrita Cantina in the Centro Histórico, the exterior of the Twin Mansions, and the Monumento a la Patria — where one character faints from the heat.
Several scenes were also shot at what appears to be a Centro private home, at Hacienda Temozon in Temozón Sur, as well as in the port city of Progreso. We also see the exterior of a (probably non-existent) tienda called Mini Súper El Rey. Parks and streets are unmistakably Yucatán. But most of the scenes are a little hard to ID, and IMBD isn’t helping.
Some other notable movies and TV shows shot in Yucatán include ‘Song to Song,’ ‘Before Night Falls,’ ‘Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent,’ ‘Sortilegio,’ and ‘Apuesta Por un Amor.’
Directed by Cannes Palme d’Or winner Elisa Miller, “Don’t Blame Karma!” was originally titled “¿Qué culpa tiene el Karma?”
Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012. He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers, including Condé Nast and Primedia, for over 20 years.
