‘In the Mud’: the non-English series storming the Netflix charts
Netflix doesn’t believe in language barriers. If it did, Squid Game honestly had no chance at being an all-time favourite. But it turns out, Netflix subscribers couldn’t care less about language as long as they have a good story to invest in. As of now, the Argentine thriller, In the Mud, is enough proof of that.
In the Mud is not just storming the global Netflix charts of the top ten most popular non-English shows. It’s leading it. Having earned 5.4million views alone this week, the Netflix series is currently the number one series in four countries: Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay.
In the Mud excels at world-building, offering fans a reality they’re far removed from, that of prison life. The eight-episode series is in the DNA of a crime thriller. But the perils and dangers are not of the pedigree we’re used to seeing in entertainment. The film follows five female inmates who forge a unique alliance on their way to La Quebrada.
While there’s a critical trigger of survival that catalyses this bonding, their relationship ultimately becomes the centrepiece of the Netflix show. They challenge the norms of prison life, those that have existed for centuries. In the face of deadly dangers, they become each other’s life support.
These inmates contest the prison hierarchy to stand up against the torture. Well aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, they harness their experiences to carve their own niche in La Quebrada. Until turf wars and prison politics threaten to upend their blissful bond. In the Mud is conceived in a reality of depravity. With the power of confinement, it comes across as a focused narrative.
Transformational arcs are crucial to the Netflix show. The series explores the themes of freedom and independence by the standards of fragmented realism. It stars Ana Garibaldi, Valentina Zenere, Rita Cortese, Lorena Vega, and Marcelo Subiotto, among others.
While Netflix always had a soft corner for thought-provoking thrillers, In the Mud takes the formula up a notch. Created, co-written, produced, and co-directed by Sebastián Ortega, serving as a spin-off of El marginal, the series is currently streaming on Netflix.