There’s a new TV show in the streaming universe that you might not have been watching – yet. Mexican HBO OriginalSierra Madre: No Trespassingpremiered in late April and, if you have a craving for political and social drama, this will be your cup of tea. Created byGabriel NuncioandDiego Enrique Osorno, the series chronicles the turbulent lives of the wealthy inhabitants of San Pedro –the richest city in Mexico– as they struggle with their busy lives, the banality of maintaining appearances, and a wave of crime breathing down their necks.
The ensemble cast is led byseveralNarcos: Mexicoalums, includingMiguel Rodarte,Mayra Hermosillo, and singer-actressTessa Ía– as wealthy entrepreneur Marcos Parra, inquisitive reporter Erika Treviño, and Roberta, Marcos’ spoiled daughter, respectively. Through them and more characters,Sierra Madre: No Trespassingportrays a story of ambitions and uneasy allianceswhile giving a nod to real-life events that marked both the northeastern Mexican cities of Monterrey and San Pedro. While the show might have gone under the radar because of its almost non-existent online footprint, this is your friendly reminder to give it a shot.
Sierra Madre: No Trespassing
Through the perspective of the Parras, a family of lineage and lineage, it will be shown that not everything is as it seems, while they do everything possible to maintain the appearances of their own “paradise” of life.
What Is ‘Sierra Madre: No Trespassing’ About?
In the same way as New York City’s five boroughs, Monterrey’s metropolitan area includes several cities with specific characteristics that differentiate it from each other. San Pedro stands out because of its wealth, harmonious living, and its abundant natural areas, courtesy of its southern border – the mountain range named Sierra Madre Oriental, hence the show’s title.Sierra Madre: No Trespassingshowsthe rich people of San Pedro as schemers and manipulators bending politicians to their will, without dirtying their hands themselves. But Marcos, being a privileged and stubborn upper-class businessman, sees an opportunity to transform the system by postulating himself for mayor and infiltrating the system.
After winning the election, his being in power reveals the vicious cycle of corruption can never be broken, only changed from hands. Roberta, a true nepo baby, is appointed to lead the local unit of a governmental institute that assists Mexican families even when having no previous expertise. Marcos’ scheming with his assistant Yuri (Natalia Plascencia) allows them to bend the rules to their will, showing thatwith great power, comes great deception. Having Erika – a press member daring enough to seek the truth – in the cast, is reminiscent ofCivil War’s narrative device. WhileSierra Madre: No Trespassingdoesn’t rely solely on her character, it represents arelevant point of view of a messed-up situation from an impartial source.
‘Sierra Madre: No Trespassing’ Is as Unapologetic as its Characters
Sierra Madre: No Trespassing’s many spotlights include the drug dealers who are truly in charge of San Pedro. Through Lucio’s (Francisco Barreiro) control of former mayor Claudia Lobeira (Karina Gidi), we’re introduced to the “Razos,”the gang that rules in the shadows. When Marcos comes to power, he sees himself in the need of allying with the opposing drug cartel, “Los del Desierto” to get rid of the “Razos.” The way he cynically acknowledges this alliance to the public (plus the lack of repercussions) exposes the general willingness to go to extreme lengths to maintain the status quo.
Through the comings and goings of its inhabitants,Sierra Madre: No Trespassingfleshes out its unapologetic characters. The show’s version of the society of San Pedro, while a bit over-the-top, isn’t that different from the real version. This becomes clear through the recruiting of real-life social media influencers – likeDaniela SalinasandMarco Polo– who usually parody the snobbish residents of San Pedro, to be part of the show’s cast. In a direct reference to the city’s current political state, Roberta’s nepotistic appointment emulates that of first lady and social media influencerMariana Rodríguezas the leader of the entity Amar a Nuevo León – which eventually led toher running for mayor of Monterrey. Through its character’s actions, the show clearly states thatthere are no heroes in this story. Everyone is malleable and will eventually sell their soul in exchange for their personal gain.
How Accurate Is ‘Sierra Madre: No Trespassing’?
Sierra Madre: No Trespassingtries too hard to establish Monterrey and San Pedro as two very separate and very different entities. In reality, given they share many borders, their happenings and repercussions are intertwined above all else. Also, whilenot based on a true story, the show accurately emulates the social and political environment that the cities of Monterrey and San Pedro have been immersed in since the early 2000s. Many of the crimes depicted in the show are based on true events. An attack on a casino that happens off-camera stems from a2011 arson that resulted in 52 people being killed, during the years when the city was immersed in a gang war.
ButSierra Madre: No Trespassing’s latest episode shines a harsher light onthe impunity of one of the most nonsensical crimescommitted in this city. The accidental assassination of medical students just outside their hospital by the hands of soldiers is a fictional adaptation of the murder of studentsJorge MercadoandJavier Arredondo,inside their university, Tecnológico de Monterrey, in 2010. Outrage erupted when the military forces tried to justify the act by falsely incriminating the students as being part of a drug gang. The show replicates this exact (and unfair) modus operandi when the news breaks, and they try to sustain the erratic narrative afterward. The mediatic real-life case is the subject of the documentaryArmed to the Teeth.
While some of its dialogues might seem stereotypical, or even clumsy,Sierra Madre: No Trespassing’s portrayal of the political and class-clashing context in the cities of Monterrey and San Pedro is worth the watch. For – as much as they try to mark divisions – all literal and figurative borders become blurred in the eleventh hour when making decisions for personal gain. In thisunderrated Max show, Rodarte, Hermosillo, and Ía carry the weight of a story that transcends the screen,going from simple entertainment to a true social commentaryon the political behind-the-scenes machinations that impact a whole city and the daily lives of its unaware inhabitants.
Sierra Madre: No Trespassingis available to stream in the U.S. on Max.
