Movie Review: Sin Nombre (2009)
A vivid and stunning feature from first-timer Cary Fukunaga, Sin Nombre is a beautifully told drama that puts faces and motivations on the struggle of thousands of Central Americans immigrants trying to make their way to America. Despite the obvious ground for potential controversy, this is a well-grounded story that keeps focus on the characters and their struggle, bypassing the broader political issues at hand.
The title itself means “without name” in reference to the faceless and nameless status of all the illegal immigrants trying to reach America, of all the people living amid poverty and violence that turns hopeless kids into children-soldiers and thugs. The film opens as Willy goes to fetch a 12-yr old boy named Smiley for his “initiation” rites to join the shockingly violent gang Mara Salvatrucha. Those consist of a dozen gang members beating Smiley within an inch of his life and then having him execute a rival gang member — under the watchful eyes of malevolent gang leader Lil’ Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejia) who is simultaneously holding his infant son in his arms.
The film depicts the grueling northward journey of Honduran teenager Sayra (Paulina Gaitan), who is headed for the American border with hopes of a better life. Accompanied by her absentee father and uncle, she spends most of the long and dangerous journey riding on the crowded tops of freight trains, dodging both the border patrol and the criminals that prey on these vulnerable flock of travelers. One such thug is Willy “El Casper” (Edgar Flores), a reluctant Mexican gang member whose pivotal moment of decency during a robbery attempt on Sayra puts his fellow gang members on his tail and binds his fate to that of the girl he saved.
The main characters are developed sufficiently and it is easy to understand the motivations for their actions. Much like City of God, a movie that Sin Nombre is somewhat reminiscent of, numerous non-professional actors were used and they all manage to perform very competently. Edgar Flores gives an endearing and charismatic performance as Willy, a reluctant gang member who is starting to realize the extent of his hopeless situation. His unlikely and slowly budding relationship with Sayra is realistic and never gets to the point of being contrived because it focuses on the fact that she sees the good in him when no one else does.
Director Cary Fukunaga spent months researching for this movie, living among gang members and traveling with migrant workers. This grounded the movie in the realm of authenticity despite the fact that it is a work of fiction and earned him the prize for best director at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. This authenticity is also reflected in the stunning cinematography by Adriano Goldman which also gives the film an artist’s flair. Sin Nombre is beautifully shot and full of powerful imagery, maybe even too many given the abject conditions it portrays. The narrative does suffer somewhat from the predictability of a doomed ending, we expect certain events to happen well before they do because there is no other way for this to end. Nevertheless, this does not distract much from the journey at hand and this is certainly a movie that will rivet you from beginning to end.
Haunting and gripping, Sin Nombre is a triumphant debut for director-writer Cary Fukunaga and a highly recommended watch.
A-
(8.5/10)
Notes: Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content, 96 minutes, a Focus Features release.
22 Comments
I agree that this was a tremendous debut, but I think it failed to live up to the unfairly high expectations I had for it. Great source material, great idea, but…some of the plot contrivances really missed for me, none more so than Sayra’s decision to follow Willy at a key moment. Overall I loved the first half and last few minutes, but somewhere in the middle I fell out of it. Nonetheless I really look forward to his next film.
It certainly was quite predictable and stuck to convention but I enjoyed the ride and was quite impressed with Fukunaga’s command on his first feature film.
I’m glad I don’t feel like one of the only ones that has seen this movie now.
I read to great of a review about this film and unfortunately it didn’t really stick with me or wow me, but it was a fantastic debut and a great movie with that in mind. I agree with you about the cinematography being the key component in the film.
Haven’t seen it. Don’t really plan to either, I’m just never in the mood for anything described as haunting. I don’t like being depressed, y’know.
I was very wary of this film at first, but it really won me over as it progressed. It’s a bit dark, but in a way that I think really makes the viewer think about events occurring in the real world. Well written review Castor!
Thanks Univarn. Surely, Sin Nombre puts a face on a contemporary phenomenon that our country has struggled with for the past few years.
I saw this cuz the At The Movies guys had ssaid it was the best movie they’d seen up to the mid-point of last year. I really liked it but I don’t know if it’s a very memorable film. The world they inhabit is what makes it interesting. Great movie from a first timer though.
A great film. Every fan of film should see this work. It is exemplary and was totally forgottn at awards time.
I first heard about this and the director when it was announced that Fukunaga is to tackle the new Jane Eyre adaptation. I’m with Ripley in that movies like these (i.e The Road, City of God) depress me too much. But I might check this out one day, I appreciate that the director chose to focus on the characters and their struggle, instead of being political about it. It’s admirable the extent he went through to make it authentic, sounds like he’s an auteur to watch for sure!
Looks good, I’ll have to add it to the queue. Thanks for the heads up.
@ Ruth, Will: Looking forward to hear what you think about it!
I think Fukunaga’s devotion to the material shows so much in the quality of the film. Few directors would go so far as to ride on those trains themselves, but Fukunaga is obviously invested in his story and all of its characters and that translates in spades to the picture. Wonderful film.
Indeed, riding on those trains, spending time with both the Mexican police and the gangs shows his great dedication to tell an authentic story.
Did we watch the same movie? The “Sin Nombre” that I saw was dreadfully boring.
Sorry to hear that Marshall
I thought the film was actually pretty good. It had some boring parts and did make me feel pretty sad afterwards but it was a beautiful film and for a debut I give this guy massive credit for creating a good film.
Damn, good review. My roommate last year saw this and thought it was great, but I don’t know, the title and poster weren’t doing it for me. Really about time I gave this a shot, looks right up my alley. Good looks, homey.
This truly one of those rare films that is able to bring its viewers out of their comfort zone and expose them to a world that they rarely experience.
I was unaware of this film. I read the first two paragraphs before stopping to keep my idea of the film fresh. I immediately added it to my Netflix. Look for my review in the future.
Hope you enjoy it Aaron!
Glad you liked it! I think I heard about this film via Film Comment, or perhaps it was the Sundance coverage, I don’t really remember, but when I missed it at the theater by me, I remembered to add it to my Netflix and walla… I was so glad I did. I expected a decent little film, but not to be blown away, which I was. I’m happy that you’ve written about it and think you’ve done it justice. More people should absolutely see this film.
I loved seeing this film in theaters back in April because of the harsh brutality shown on screen. It just goes to show how far people are willing to go to survive and achieve a better life for themselves.
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