Sin Nombre

Last night I was treated by some friends to a wonderful film called "Sin Nombre". The film, by new comer Cary Joji Funukana, follows the parallel journeys of a young girl trying to immigrate to the United States, and a young gang member trying to run from his past. In my opinion the film does an exceptional job in remaining focused on the rawness of the Central American immigration experience, and it also lets the viewer take a step into the violent and hidden world of the Mara Salvatrucha gang. The Director, Mr. Fukunaka, actually rode the trains in Chiapas in order to experience the reality of what he was going to film. You can see this in the authenticity of the narrative.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't biased toward films that try to portray the immigrant experience. I loved Babel, Under the Same moon, The Visitor and Al Otro Lado. But this film was something else for me. It was an experience.

In another life, I think I would have been a film maker, since I love telling stories, and watching films. To me films are a way to be transported, to inhabit another reality, if only for a while. For the duration of the film I was in a trance like state, engulfed in the intricacies of its story, the beauty of its cinematography and the honesty.

I highly recommend it.