The Mexican filter is a yellow-colored or sepia filter that is sometimes employed in films and television productions to visually represent scenes set in Mexico, as well as other Latin American and South Asian countries. It has been criticized for tending to wash out the faces of people with darker skin, and for stereotyping the countries it depicts. Notable examples of Mexican filter use include: ‘Traffic’ (2000), ‘Breaking Bad’ (2008), ‘Extraction’ (2020), ‘Saw X’ (2023).
The use of yellow color filters for Mexico began around 2000, when technical advancements in film-making allowed the easier use of color filters. Traditionally used to convey a sense of heat and aridity, the use of yellow color filters for Mexico eventually became a trope. It has been disputed that temperature is a good justification for using the Mexican filter given that hot cities in the United States are rarely if ever depicted with yellow filters.
The Daily Omnivore 
Leave a comment