Aayush Sharma
Netflix’s ‘In The Mud‘ is a Spanish-language crime drama about five women getting ready to serve their sentences at La Quebrada, a women’s penitentiary. When Gladys Borges, Yael Rubial, Olga Giuliani, Marina Delorsi, and Soladed Rodríguez enter the prison, they don’t know what to expect and decide to stick together. As they embark on this perilous journey, the group finds out that they need to be on their toes at all times for their survival. But that’s not the only thing they need to do if they want to live peacefully inside the correctional institution. They need to pledge their allegiance to one of the two tribes working in the prison and secure access to the resources. The majority of the show’s narrative primarily focuses on how the group of five women navigates their lives in the harsh conditions. Thus, making the penitentiary a brutal force that shapes every decision makes everyone wonder if the aforementioned prison exists.
The La Quebrada in In The Mud is a Fictional Penitentiary Created For The Show
The events of ‘In The Mud’ take place in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. The police are transferring seven women to the La Quebrada jailhouse for their respective crimes. However, an accident occurs, and they find themselves in a precarious situation. At the same time, one of them gets out of the situation with the help of her boyfriend, while the other six fight for their lives. Ultimately, five of the remaining six female convicts escaped the dangerous incident. The police take them to prison as they embark on a dangerous journey. As such, all the characters and storylines depicted on the show are completely fictional, which means that the La Quebrada jail is also made-up. In reality, La Quebrada, which means “ravine” in Spanish, is a famous tourist attraction in Acapulco, Mexico. Professional divers charm the tourists by jumping off either of two ledges on the cliff. Located at Avienda Adolfo López Mateos 75, Las Playas, in Acapulco de Juárez, the La Quebrada Cliff Divers perform daily shows for the travelers.
Apart from similar names, both places bear no resemblance in real life, looking and feeling completely different from each other. However, the production team chose a real-life location to create the fictional jailhouse. For the show, the crew made the women’s prison in an abandoned tobacco factory in San Martín, which is part of the urban agglomeration of Greater Buenos Aires. The creators divided the prison into three parts: left-wing, right-wing, and the central block. The team turned the old, worn-down building into a realistic and raw setting that fit the story perfectly. However, to make the prison look and feel authentic, the makers went to real prisons and talked to several female inmates. In an interview, creator Sebastian Ortega said, “We took all the time necessary to visit prisons and talk with many women who live in confinement for various reasons. [It was] very useful. All the team leaders, the authors, and the art director were there. Once, I remember we were all coming back from the Ezeiza prison, all silent, easing the energy and information we’d gathered there.”
By turning an abandoned factory into a women’s penitentiary, the makers created a setting that feels both oppressive and authentic. Every wall, every corner, and the narrow corridors add to the sense of confinement. Taking inspiration from real-life jailhouses, ‘In The Mud’ creates an atmosphere of intense dread and showcases how these women live in such harsh conditions. They don’t get enough resources, and are subjected to physical violence within the walls of the correctional institution. Soon, the prison’s environment shapes their behavior and forces them to form alliances and fight for survival. As the series showcases these elements with authenticity, the La Quebrada becomes more than just a backdrop. Even though the prison is fictional, it feels real, leaving a lasting impression as if it holds the stories of everyone who has ever been behind bars.
Read More: Where is Netflix’s In the Mud Filmed?
