Culpa Nuestra: Sparks Fly, But The Finale Fumbles In Its Own Fire

I was doomscrolling on my phone, looking to bingewatch something, when I came across Culpa Nuestra (Our Fault), the third chapter of a step-sibling love story. I decided to indulge in the movie of the snooty and entitled Nicholas 'Nick' Leister and his love interest, Noah Morán, who always appears to be troubled by something, and honestly, it was truly a waste of time. The discomfort I felt after sitting through the film has been unmatched in comparison to the first two parts, although all of them are about nudity and sex; at least they had some scenes and plots. 

The final part feels like watching a 30-minute ad film that is rushing towards the end. The only saving grace is the main characters' undeniable chemistry, which also feels tiresome and watered down as compared to the sizzling enamour they held in the first two movies.

The Plot

The story begins with Noah travelling to Ibiza for a wedding, where she awkwardly reconnects with her ex and half-brother, Nick, who is now managing his grandfather's law firm. During the wedding, sparks fly between them, leading to a one-night stand. However, Nick struggles to forgive Noah and is in a relationship with someone else, Sofia, while Noah starts dating Simon, who turns out to be Nick's business partner.

Tensions rise when Nick learns about his mother's illness and seeks comfort from Noah. As the plot unfolds, Nick realises his love for Noah, leading him to pursue her as she attempts to leave the country. After suffering a brutal attack that resulted in Nick being stabbed and falling into a coma, he wakes up to discover that Noah has delivered their child.

The climax scene encapsulates the attempt to abduct the baby, a home invasion and fighting scenes, all feeling too rushed, but the couple survives the ordeal, marries and lives happily ever after.

Women Reduced to Props in a Man’s Story

Noah’s entire character arc revolves around her availability for Nick’s desires and how sorry she was for cheating on the love of her life. While Nick is shown being a brooding businessman who is entitled to the empire he inherited from his grandfather, Noah has been reduced to eye candy and a damsel in distress. Her career is shown as a few brief scenes of working odd jobs and collecting her diploma of graduation from the receptionist.

It’s hard to fathom that a millionaire’s stepdaughter, who owns a pretty fancy car, does not even have her own graduation scene. The oomph and fire one could feel from Noah’s character in the earlier movies is watered down to show Noah’s journey as a docile protagonist who is waiting for the love of her life to finally return. All Noah seems to aspire to is being someone’s wife, her version of a happily ever after.

Sofia, who is shown as a smart, elegant lawyer who knows how to handle difficult circumstances, is reduced to a mere distraction for Nick. All she does is please Nick, tolerate his disrespect every time, and pay heed to his whims and fancies. The depth that her character possesses is overshadowed by how well she can serve as a mistress to Nick until he realises Noah is one for him.

The movie has excelled in recreating the patriarchal setting that wants a woman to be a glittering charm that is pleasing to a man’s eye, because all her desires and wants will always be controlled by a man.

Nick’s character is so displeasing and irritating by the end that you would want to throw something at the screen. His pompous nature and his territorial behaviour were insufferable in the first two movies as well, but in the third part of this trilogy, one wonders how much the gorgeous locations and exquisite scenes compensated for the shallowness of his character.

Fast-Forward to Chaos: A Rushed and Ridiculous Climax

The entire movie feels like it’s sprinting to the finish line. These complicated dynamics of troubled rich people function in a fashion that seems so vaguely attuned. The final dramatic sequence feels so vague and misconstrued that it borders on parody.

It is like a daily soap where there are only 12 minutes to finish the entire plot, so the blackmail, long-gone psycho exes, the car chase, the coma, the assassination, the home invasion, the kidnapping and finally the happily ever after happen in this tiny time frame. 

The only thing worth remembering is the heroic act of the dog, which turned out to be the mighty saviour in the end. I find it unfathomable to imagine how one can call this a movie plot.

There are two love-making scenes in the movie, and they have no impact whatsoever. One beckons to think how complicated the romance between half-baked siblings in real life could get, and the movie just messes up its representation in unimaginable ways.

If you’re planning to watch Culpa Nuestra, the final part of Nick and Noah’s saga, I would say keep your logical side aside and watch it for the gorgeous face cards that the movie serves. If you are not into looks, then I hope you are not sober when you watch it.

Authored by Hridya Sharma | Views expressed by the author are their own.