The Con Artists' Cruise
Few places lend themselves to the development of the wildest stories like a cruise. In these itinerant microcosms, epitomes of travel happiness, the succession of people (and characters), activities, destinations, 24-hour plans, colorful cocktails, shows, budding friendships, Hawaiian shirts, and even conga lines around the pool guarantee at least some adventure.
With all these ingredients plus a good dose of intrigue, a plot of fraud and deception, and a certain comedic gloss, Daniel Monzón has crafted his latest film, Yucatán, following the tremendous success of his previous films: Celda 211 and El Niño. This time he steps away from action to dive into the realm of laughter.
Luis Tosar, Rodrigo de la Serna, Joan Pera, Stephanie Cayo, and Toni Acosta star in this ensemble comedy that premiered on August 31, where a band of con artists will deploy the dirtiest tricks to show just how far humans driven by greed can go. Thus, on this intrepid journey from Barcelona to Cancun, passing through Casablanca, Tenerife, Brazil, and the famous jungle of Yucatán that gives the film its title, there will be an unflinching duel of unscrupulous swindlers. A race to empty the pockets of unsuspecting tourists and seize a fortune.
Always in the background, the setting for all the film's adventures and misadventures is a giant ship. None other than the Sovereign, one of the largest vessels in the Pullmantur fleet, which for 22 days became a film set involving more than a hundred cast and crew members from Yucatán.
Those who have ever traveled aboard this immense ship will recognize every nook and cranny in the movie. Even the crew members, as around 40 of them had the opportunity to actively participate in the filming, becoming actors for a day and stepping into the roles of fictional characters. Some of the actual passengers who were on vacation aboard the cruise also joined in to appear as extras in many scenes.
Everything on the ship is portrayed. From the deck, frequently featuring Lucas (Luis Tosar) languidly admiring the foam trail at the stern, to the auditorium where the finely crafted musical numbers take place, passing by the casino, the lobby, the pool area and the jacuzzi, the restaurant, or the Observation Deck with 360-degree views. All of these spaces frame the sequences of the feature film aboard the famous Sovereign, which regularly operates from Barcelona.
Even in the cabins, the buffet, and even the kitchen, the camera of Yucatán goes to see if that perfect plan, that dream heist on the cruise, will end well or be doomed, quite literally, to sink.