Gang battles, homemade guns and extensive chase sequences comprise this 2009 Sundance Film festival winner. Sin Nombre, however, isn't part of the "shoot 'em up" genre. Winner of best direction and cinematography, it follows the paths of several individuals whose decisions to migrate to the United States are directly influenced by South American poverty.
The film shows the journey of Edgar Flores's character, who is referred to by two names. When he is devoting his time to defending the name of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, he goes by the more menacing pseudonym "El Casper." However, when he sneaks out of the barrio in order to spend time with his lover, Martha Marlene (Diana Garcia), the name that slips off her lips is "Willy."
At first, it is unclear as to which side of his personality is more dominant. The audience sees El Casper directing his young Mara recruit, El Smiley (Kristian Ferrer), to murder a member of a rival gang. However, in a juxtaposed scene, he is buying flowers for Martha Marlene and unabashedly professing his love for her.
When these two aspects of his life are brought together, a turn of events leads El Casper to attempt to abandon this more violent, immoral part of his personality and reconcile with "Willy." The catalyst that helps him to make this decision is his first encounter with Sayra (Paulina Gaitan).
Sayra has recently been reunited with her father, an event that she reacts to with mixed emotions. All of their conversations are tinged with the feeling that she has been replaced by his new family in New Jersey. The fact that his return to Honduras is solely based on his deportation does not help matters.
Now, Sayra, her father and her uncle begin the perilous journey to the United States with hopes of escaping the poverty of South America. Her father has their trip mapped out meticulously on an index-sized map that details their travels through Mexico and then across the border.
"Where is New Jersey?" Sayra asks him. He tells her it is off the map. Not only is Sayra unable to visualize her destination on paper, but she also seems incapable of grasping the reality of the situation.
The beginning of their journey entails riding on the top of a train with hundreds of others trying to reach the same destination. One person always remains awake in order to be on the lookout for border patrol. This isn't the only danger, though. While the migrants sit enshrouded by their ponchos on a particularly rainy day, members of the Mara, including El Smiley and El Casper, come aboard to steal from the migrants.
Lil Mago (Tenoch Huerta) finds Sayra particularly appealing, calling her a "little Salma Hayek." Trapped by the metal of the gun and Lil Mago's body, she cries and whimpers, but no one aboard the train can do anything to stop the intimidating, and armed, Mara. It is El Casper who steps up and saves Sayra, thus completing his transformation into Willy.
It is unclear as to the parameters of Sayra and Willy's relationship. At first she appears to take on the role of the over-eager younger sister all too well. But the element of attraction is also introduced, creating an interesting dynamic for their relationship as it develops.
First-time writer and director Cary Fukunaga weaves this tale around several themes. He presents the idea and importance of family through the characters of Sayra and Willy. For Sayra, her decisions to migrate to the United States are based on her family's insistence to do so. Despite the fact that she has not grown up with her father, she follows him on the journey, placing her trust in him relatively easily.
Willy's family, however, is the Mara. The Mara dictate what he does and who he is. The idea of brotherhood is discussed frequently. Additionally, his rebellion towards the Mara creates a whole new idea of what it means to deny one's "family" and forge one's own path in life.
Sin Nombre isn't a sloppy attempt at a first film. Instead, it is an expertly crafted portrayal of the changes that befall individuals when they attempt to cross both physical and emotional borders. It certainly isn't light-hearted, but it isn't unappealingly heavy either.
The movie doesn't burden the viewer with reading superfluous amounts of dialogue in the form of subtitles. It says what it wants to and lets the viewers do with it what they will. While this Sundance gem may not be a film most are familiar with, it is certainly a must-see and will leave the viewer feeling a pleasant mixture of happiness and sadness.
