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SIN NOMBRE Send This Review to a Friend
The plight of immigrants trying to reach the United States can be heartbreaking, given the obstacles in the way. “Sin Nombre,” an impressively made first feature directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, zeroes in on one group, but there is so much emphasis on gang involvement and the resulting brutality that the film is very difficult to watch. There are a few sympathetic characters to be sure, but the world depicted is one largely of gang allegiance proven by willingness to commit violent acts. Vengeance and general ugliness are so prevalent as to inundate the immigration story itself.
Such is the world that the film portrays, albeit expertly, with a mix of actors and non-professionals. The most sympathetic characters are Sayra (Paulina Gaitan), a Honduran teenager, and Casper, called Willy (Edgar Flores), a Mexican teenager and his girlfriend Martha Marlene (Diana García). Contrasted with their decency is the viciousness of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, led by the beastly Lil’ Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejía).
The confrontations and plot machinations that bedevil the efforts to move toward new lives from the conditions of despair in their home environments are formidable. One watches the film knowing that there must be tragedy ahead, and this sense of danger holds one’s interest, as does the depiction of the overall environment. But “Sin Nombre,” for all its expertise and inherent hope, makes for largely nasty viewing. A Focus Features release.
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