Culpa Mia, a Spanish romantic drama based on Mercedes Ron’s novel of the same name, presents a controversial and uncomfortable storyline that revolves around a forbidden love between step-siblings. The film’s plot feels drawn out and lacks compelling elements, making it a tedious and uncomfortable viewing experience. It is not surprising that some viewers choose to stop watching after just thirty minutes. Culpa Mia (or My Fault) revolves around Noah, a young woman who falls in love with her stepbrother Nicholas, and their attempts to normalize their semi-incestuous relationship.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In ‘Culpa Mia’?
Noah’s mother, Rafaella, brought her to the luxurious mansion of her newlywed husband, William Leister. Despite the mansion’s splendor, it didn’t seem like a home to Noah since she wasn’t very fond of living in luxury. She was already upset about leaving behind her old life, including her boyfriend and best friend. Moreover, she found herself at odds with her stepbrother Nicholas due to their contrasting personalities, leading to a sense of rivalry between them. However, what shocked the viewers was the undeniable sexual tension that had been present between the step-siblings from the get-go.
Noah’s childhood was marked by her father’s abusive behavior toward her mother. Her father, once a car racer, was arrested and imprisoned, but the traumatic memories continued to haunt Noah. Shortly after her arrival, Nicholas, the seemingly perfect son of the Leister family, revealed himself to be a troublemaker involved in gangs, fights, and illegal car races. Given her negative experiences with car races, Noah tried to distance herself from that world but inadvertently got involved in a race with Ronnie, Nick’s rival, leading to a major conflict between the two.
Who Won The Race?
Noah attended a car race where Nicholas was competing against his rival, Ronnie. Nick won the first round and began celebrating his win. On the other hand, Noah received a text message containing a photo of her boyfriend, Dan, kissing her best friend, Betty. Enraged, Noah decided to retaliate by kissing a random guy and having a picture taken to send to Dan. Nicholas helped her with this plan by kissing her and capturing the moment in a photograph. Shortly after sending the picture to Dan, Noah found herself in Nicholas’s car at the starting point of the race. Noah made the impulsive decision to continue with the race in order to defeat Ronnie. It turned out that Noah was already a skilled driver, easily outperforming Ronnie despite his attempts to cheat. Unable to accept defeat gracefully, Ronnie started making open threats against Noah. Even worse, he was furiously claiming that Nick had cheated during the race, so to diffuse the situation, Nick paid him money and gave him his racing car.
Who Was Sending Those Threat Messages?
Despite their initial attempts to resist their feelings, Noah and Nick couldn’t help but be drawn to each other, and their connection deepened as they fell in love. Even when Noah’s mother, Rafaella, invited her boyfriend, Dan, over, Noah paid little attention to him. However, amidst their blossoming romance, Noah began receiving anonymous threatening letters, adding a sense of mystery and suspicion to the plot. To her surprise, these letters were not sent by Ronnie or any of Nick’s flings. It was actually Noah’s father, Jonas, who had recently been released from jail and harbored intentions of harming his ex-wife and daughter. Unbeknownst to Noah, both William, and Rafaella had kept the information of her father’s release from her, hoping to spare her the anxiety. However, Ronnie, who was not just Nick’s rival but also secretly working for Jonas, succeeded in luring Noah and bringing her to her father.
‘Culpa Mia’ Ending Explained: Did Jonas Die? What Happened To Noah?
One day, while Nick and Noah were heading to an outdoor location to have some privacy for their intimate moments, Nick made a stop at a store to buy protection. However, upon his return, he discovered that his car was empty, as Noah had been abducted by Ronnie and his gang. Noah was kidnapped and taken to Jonas, her father, who then used her as leverage to demand a substantial amount of ransom from Will and Rafaella. Will agreed to the deal but secretly informed the police, who arrived at the designated location disguised as civilians. However, Jonas became suspicious of police involvement and decided to flee with Noah using Nick’s car, which had been previously taken by Ronnie. He held Noah at gunpoint and forced her to drive at high speed. Meanwhile, Nick, accompanied by a police officer, tracked the car using its insurance tracker and finally confronted Jonas. Noah devised a plan unknown to Jonas and drove her car toward Nick’s car. In a dramatic Bollywood-style moment, reminiscent of Siddharth Anand’s War, both Nick and Noah managed to swing their cars together while the police officer in Nick’s car shot Jonas, ultimately putting an end to him. Noah was safely rescued and brought back home. However, the romantic entanglement between the step-siblings didn’t come to an end. The film concluded with Rafaella urging William to take action and keep Nick and Noah apart. It hints at the possibility of another cringe-inducing romantic drama in the making, centered around Rafaella and Will creating obstacles in the path of this semi-incestuous relationship.
Final Words
The movie Culpa Mia or My Fault is a complete waste of time. The film’s aesthetically breathtaking sequences are its single saving grace. Every other aspect, including the script, the directing, the acting performances, and the dialogue delivery, is cringe-worthy. Once you have invested your time in watching a film like Culpa Mia, you are unable to retrieve those two hours. It is regrettable to realize that the film did not live up to expectations and failed to deliver an engaging and satisfying experience. Consequently, if there are talks of a sequel being produced, I strongly advise against dedicating any more time to it. Based on the underwhelming nature of the original film, there seems to be little to no potential for the sequel to offer any significant improvements or reasons to entice viewers.
