The Mooring (2021 film)
A love spell unleashes a dark and possessive force.
**The Mooring** (Spanish: *El amarre*) is a 2021 Mexican horror film directed by Tamae Garateguy. It was produced by Lemon Films under its horror-focused subsidiary, Lemonster. The story centers on Julieta, a young woman who casts a love spell on a co-worker and accidentally brings out the violent side of her new boyfriend. Because of COVID-19 restrictions in Mexico, the film was released primarily as a streaming title, eventually acquired by Amazon Prime Video.
**Plot** Julieta visits a market looking for prosperity powder, but her friend Elena convinces her to buy love powder instead, despite Julieta’s skepticism. She tries it on her co-worker Daniel with no result. When Elena gets a promotion, she credits the powder. That night, after a drunken celebration, Julieta insists they return to the magical store for a stronger spell. The owner, Santana, performs a blood ritual. The spell appears to work: Daniel follows Julieta home, and they sleep together.
Soon, Daniel becomes possessive and aggressive. He accuses Julieta of flirting with their boss, loses his job, and later hits her and destroys her apartment. Remembering warnings from Gabriela—a former girlfriend who says Daniel is not what he seems—Julieta tries to contact her, only to learn Gabriela had an accident. Fearing for her safety, Julieta and Elena ask Santana to break the spell, but Santana says it cannot be undone. Elena suggests hiding at her family’s cabin. Daniel finds them there, breaks in, and Julieta knocks him down, apparently killing him. Believing the police won’t believe her story, she and Elena burn his body in his car.
Days later, Julieta sees Daniel’s burned ghost taunting her. She thinks it’s a hallucination until he kills their boss. Elena visits Julieta, who is paranoid and nervous. When Elena tries to take her to a hospital, Daniel throws Elena out a window, killing her. Desperate, Julieta returns to Santana, who offers a deadly spell that will send her to a border between life and death, where Daniel will try to drag her into eternity. She must cut the bond and escape before the ceremony’s fire goes out. Julieta performs the spell, enters the dimension, and cuts off her wedding finger to sever the tie, but fails to escape in time. Her soul remains trapped with Daniel forever.
**Cast** Sofía Espinosa as Julieta Vadhir Derbez as Daniel Fabiola Guajardo as Elena D
- Release year
- 2021
- Country
- Mexico
- Director
- Tamae Garateguy
- Production company
- Lemon Films (under Lemonster banner)
- Main cast
- Sofía Espinosa, Vadhir Derbez, Fabiola Guajardo
- Distributor
- Amazon Prime Video
- Genre
- Horror
Lore & Background
The film's plot centers on Julieta, who buys magical love powder from a market and uses it on her co-worker Daniel. After a blood ritual performed by store owner Santana, Daniel becomes her boyfriend but soon turns possessive and violent, hitting her and destroying her apartment. Julieta attempts to break the spell but is told it cannot be undone. After apparently killing Daniel in self-defense, she is haunted by his burning ghost, who kills her boss and her friend Elena. Desperate, Julieta undergoes a deadly spell that traps her soul with Daniel's forever.
Reader's Guide
The Mooring is significant as a Mexican horror film that blends supernatural elements with social commentary on gender violence, as noted by actress Sofía Espinosa. The film's release was shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting from a theatrical release to an exclusive streaming title on Amazon Prime Video, where it became one of the most-watched films in Mexico during its premiere weekend. The production marked a genre diversification for actor Vadhir Derbez, known for comedy, and was produced under Lemon Films' horror-focused subsidiary Lemonster. The film's limited marketing and critical promotion due to its streaming acquisition highlight the changing distribution landscape for Mexican cinema during the pandemic.
Did You Know?
- The film was originally scheduled for theatrical release in Mexico but was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
- Vadhir Derbez took the role to diversify his filmography, considering horror a challenging genre.
- Principal photography began in mid-July 2019 and concluded about a month before the shooting of 'El Mesero', another film starring Derbez.
- The film was produced under Lemon Films' banner 'Lemonster', a subsidiary focused exclusively on horror films.
More in Mexican horror films 1-24
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