Film: Sin Nombre
Release date: 1st February 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Starring: Edgar Flores, Paulina Gaitan, Jesus Lira, Kristian Ferrer
Genre: Adventure/Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Revolver
Format: DVD
Country: Mexico/USA
Girls, gangsters and a road trip mean only one thing these days, especially when divulged by a young Spanish-speaker. Cary Joji Fukunaga jumps on the Latin coming-of-age bandwagon with a road movie driven by fear and family. In streets ruled by violence, where honesty is absolute, who can a runaway trust?
The three young protagonists, Casper (Flores), Smiley (Ferrer) and Sayra (Gaitan) are quickly established as hailing from old-fashioned families. With their elders’ focus on settling them down, the youngsters have developed something of double lives to accommodate their natural desire to deviate.
Street-wise and savvy, the trio dabbles in warfare and crime. Smiley goes through agony to join Casper’s crime family, the Mara Salvatrucha. Yet spurred by the killing of the girl he loved, Casper is making efforts to leave. The course of the film is based around his long, risky trek from Guatemala to New Jersey.
He is joined by Sayra, whose relatives are the optimum of the traditional family. The importance of unity has led them to send her to the USA to rediscover distant relatives and she accompanies Casper on his escape…
Casper and Sayra’s very different motives but identical journey encapsulates the division between generations. This is a concept not exactly unfamiliar in recent Latin cinema, and Fukunaga seems to have been captured by the same fascination as his peers. Those already familiar with the work of his contemporaries are unlikely to make any enlightening discoveries in Sin Nombre, but the seedy taste of gangland living lends it a slightly darker feeling than some forbearers. Grounded by very physical and very real threats, a smidge of sentiment is replaced by excitement, which is often lacking in other Latin New Wave films.
Crime and punishment may govern Fukunaga’s coming-of-age story, but family is just as influential. By entrusting their beloved to the care of an ex-gangster and his baggage, Sayra’s relations unknowingly push her into a family of quite another kind. This one is just as devoted, but conversely motivated, with a knack of turning adults into children and friends into enemies. The ‘father’ punishes as he sees fit, initiating rituals that suspiciously resemble Smiley’s initiation - a blood-thirsty affair in which grown men barbarically attack the small boy.
So powerful is this network of gang members that, rather obviously, escaping them is far from easy. At times, the Mara seem one step ahead of Casper, and even North America isn’t quite the sanctuary that he needs. Casper turns this to his advantage - or so it seems - by calling upon his own American associates made during his gangster stint.
Dishonesty is an expensive trait for anyone caught up in this lifestyle. Whilst Casper’s ‘aunt’ (by alliance, not blood) helps the pair make their next get away, she is equally loyal to those who pursue them, and it becomes clear that she won’t put her neck on the line by lying for their sake. Apparently, this is the general rule of thumb in the realm of gangsters, invoking a weighty underlying edge of misgiving. Some might make accusations of cowardice and some might call it wisdom, or survival - whatever label viewers choose to attach, this consistent hunch of caution accommodates a little character reflection.
And, despite the youth of the leading cast, they bring the necessary depth and insight. Ferrer’s performance during Smiley’s initiation is painful to watch - but in a good way. Convincingly suffering for his cause, emotions are pulled at the pitiful sight of the boy curled at the feet of men. When he is pulled to his feet and turns to the camera, an unsettling grin of blood on his lips, the heart is apt to crumble in two as a single question booms loud: why? Gaitan’s character of Sayra is also a persuasive one. Her feelings, for example, when informed of her journey north to meet her husband-in-waiting, are perfectly illustrated on her young face. Marred with despair, the young actress portrays a character of sympathy, but also of inner strength, determination and eventually hope, without overacting the script.
If you can’t trust your family, who can you trust? Sin Nombre is both tragic and inspiring, and certainly quenches that current thirst for Latin American teenagers. It does, however, risk being overlooked in a few years’ time; if nothing else simply due to timing. This New Wave’s ground breakers have come and gone, and Fukunaga’s latest is likely to be lost in their shadows. Although polished, it is not quite Hollywood, not quite indie - not quite a gangster film and not quite a love story. Still, for fans of the movement, it is definitely worth watching, and for those who haven’t yet experienced more acclaimed titles, it will prove an engaging and enjoyable watch. RS
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