'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/2gAIAQEAAAAAgG//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAADP/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAEDEAAAAF//xAAhEAABAwMEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEBhESAAUUMRMiQf/aAAgBAQABPwCnRHcn6dhm0zF4gconGQuREBAIonXapddFuFPOqrkmDL85+zmGKDl9tr//xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABABEh/9oACAECAQE/AAvGf//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAv/aAAgBAwEBPwDSgJf/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Mexican rom-com Don't Blame Karma! has arrived on Netflix. With romance coupled with good humor, the feel-good movie about sibling rivalry is directed by Elisa Miller from a screenplay by Fernanda Equiarte and Marcelo Tobar.
Mexican actors Aislinn Derbez, Renata Notni, and Gil Cerezo, who star in the lead roles of Sara, Lucy, and Aaron, bring authenticity to the characters, and the fantastic chemistry between the three lifts the movie.
Don't Blame Karma! is a fun watch on sibling rivalry and romance
Don't Blame Karma! is the story of a not-so-thriving young woman called Sara who is convinced she is cursed by her sister, Lucy, to have a bad fortune. It all started when they were kids, and on Lucy's fifth birthday, Sara decided to blow out her candles and take away her wish. This led to five-year-old Lucy getting enraged and wishing her sister bad luck. Since then, Sara has believed that the misfortune that followed her was Lucy's doing.
Fast forward to the present day, the sisters have grown up. Sara runs a small business and dabbles in fashion designing, while Lucy is a beautiful model thriving in the industry. The family reunites at Merida, where Sara lives and runs her shop, and Lucy announces that she is engaged.
Much to Sara's horror, Lucy is engaged to pop singer Aron. Aron was Sara's best friend in school, whom she had a big crush on. Although Sara tries to avoid Aron, staying under one roof brings the two old friends together, and sparks obviously fly. Aron and Sara spend a lot of time together and revisit old memories. They share a common love for music, which they explore once again, and it comes to light that Aron still writes songs dedicated to only Sara.
Don't Blame Karma! cuts across the present with flashbacks from the past. As Aron and Sara's reunion is explored, their friendship in high school is also shown in flashbacks. We see how their budding relationship was deterred from going any further because the two had to drift apart eventually.
The first part of the movie is chaotic. It is overwhelming and packed with new developments, all of which boil down to how Sara's life is now being turned upside down. From having her first love living under her roof with her sister to Lucy creating an opportunity for her to showcase her clothing collection at Fashion Fest, Sara's life is a mess.
A moral without preachiness that Don't Blame Karma! brings
The latter half of the movie is more evenly paced and calm. With Sara settling down under new circumstances and re-bonding with Aron, Lucy realizes she has rushed into an engagement too soon. Meanwhile, we see that Lucy is her sister's greatest cheerleader, while Sara still nurtures a grudge against Lucy.
The sibling rivalry is resolved towards the end of the movie with the sisters reconciling. Lucy also calls off the wedding and encourages Sara to pursue Aron since she could see how smitten Sara and Aron are. At the heart of the movie lies a thoughtful message. Sara's bad fortune was her own doing, which turned around for good when Lucy came to live with her.
Since Don't Blame Karma! is narrated from Sara's perspective, the movie paints a villain out of Lucy in the beginning and, through the 1 hour 25 minute run, dismantles that image too. Without being preachy, it communicates the message that blaming others for one's misfortune is not always the best solution.
Watching the two sisters, played by Derbez and Notni, was mesmerizing as the chemistry between them was perfect, and director Elisa Miller has craftily used that to the film's advantage.
With brilliant presentation, originality, and doses of drama, Don't Blame Karma! is a light and delightful watch. But the turbulent relationship creating parallel drama between Sara and Lucy's parents sometimes seemed like an unnecessary filler.
If one is satisfied with small doses of drama peppered with romance and reconciliation, Don't Blame Karma! could be your next go-to title. Catch the Mexican drama now streaming on Netflix.
