Sin Nombre, 2009

Illegal immigration is an extremely complicated issue, no matter what stance you take. On one hand, people are sneaking across the border, taking other people's jobs, and adding to the overpopulation and unemployment. On the other hand, these people may come from countries that deprive them of success and are searching for a better life in a country with more opportunities. "Sin Nombre", a breakthrough directing debut for Cary Fukunaga, is not necessarily a political film about illegal immigration, but a film about survival and breaking out of the ghetto life that is littered with gangs and murder. The film takes place in Mexico, where the gang life shown is bleak and harrowing, as boys as young as 10 or 12 are being recruited and brainwashed. All the members are covered in tattoos, in which they look like ancient warriors covered in war paint, and they spend their days fighting against rival gangs, beating up on recruits, and robbing civilians at the train station, the very same who are trying to cross the border to the States. Finally, one member, Casper, has had enough, and he kills his gang leader who attempted to rape a young Honduran woman who was traveling with her family. Casper and the woman, Sayra, soon develop a friendship that borders on a romance, as they try to make it to the States before Casper is hunted down. This film does not argue for or against illegal immigration, but no matter what one's views might be on the subject, it is undeniable that people trying to make a life in this country go through many hardships and every minute is a matter of life and death. As Sayra's father says when acknowledging the hundreds of travelers, "half of these people will not make it." As in Barbet Schroeder's "Our Lady of the Assassins" and Fernando Meirelles's brilliant "City of God", the gangs in this Latin American ghetto rule the streets and exact merciless violence on anyone who opposes or stands in their path. "Sin Nombre" is a heartbreaking and powerful film that values human life and questions what choices people may make in their lives. Are they meant to challenge themselves and lead stimulating lives, or are they destined to fall to the mercy of the gangs and live in a world of violence and fear?

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A very harrowing look at the journey of two young people - each travelling to the US for different reasons. It's bleak and dark and violent, but you really won't want to look away. It takes some been-there-done-that themes like teen romance and redemption and gives them so much more impact. It definitely doesn't pull any punches, and is certainly worth a look.

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