The yellow filter is often used to show conflict zones, mostly in developing countries. The yellow filter has been spotted in various movies, and recently in a Chris Hemsworth film Extraction, which takes place in Bangladesh. The trailer depicts the high-octane methods used to film the movie. But the trailer alone had an unexpected consequence: Viewers quickly noticed that the movie's footage looked normal while the final cut of the film has a distinct, and off-putting, yellowish tint.
The yellow filter is problematic because it adds to the stereotypes about conflict zones and developing nations. The primary issue stems from the way a story is told and portrayed. When a cinematographer decides to use a yellow filter in scenes in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, they intend to create a space that would make their intended viewers associate it with poverty, pre-modernity, lawlessness. Most often than not, Mexico is shown with a yellow filter in many movies, but one Google search is enough to tell us that it is indeed a beautiful place, and it is much more than its crime rate and poverty statistics.
Viewers worldwide are catching onto the yellow filter; many articles and social media statements show a dislike towards the "third world aesthetic." It is about time directors stop using the yellow filter to depict conflicts, war, and poverty.