SIN NOMBRE Review

jackie-chan
Contributor; London
SIN NOMBRE Review

Whenever a new Latin American film gets theatrically released over here (however limited), there’s a sense that it should be something really quite special. Buoyed over the past decade by successes such as City of God, Amores Perros, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Bombon El Pero and La Zona to name but a few, there’s come to be a certain weight of expectation, particularly when surrounded by the sort of fanfare that Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre comes with. Having Gael Garcia Bernal attached as executive producer and the cinematographer of City of Men on board further compounds this.

Sin Nombre (literally ‘nameless’ in reference to the millions of anonymous immigrants around the world) tells the story of three family members - father, daughter Sayra and her uncle - heading north from a dead-end life in Honduras, through Central America to the US border. Against the backdrop of the gang-led industry in people trafficking, the family’s journey is disrupted by a chance encounter with notorious Mara gang leader, Lil Mago, his disillusioned young member, Casper, and eager new recruit Smiley as they board an immigrant laden train from Tapachula in Mexico. A pivotal moment aboard the train sees an unlikely love story develop as Casper and Sayra try to evade a violent fate at the hands of the Mara. Part gangster film, part love story and part road movie, Sin Nombre manages to weave a fine balance never letting one impulse overwhelm the others.

The cinematography is beautiful, with a striking mix of bleached out urban landscapes and colourful Mexican countryside. It’s hard not to think City of God, especially in the early more gang-focused sections with Smiley et al, but excellent performances and a gripping narrative that eschews the more sensational stylistic elements of that film, help it carve a largely fresh path. Perhaps more successfully than City of God, Sin Nombre articulates how gang life can be so appealing without making it remotely glamorous (to the viewer). Fukunaga does an admirable job of mixing trained actors and locals with real immigrants, filming aboard actual trains much of the time, with authenticity shining through in every scene. The director stated his intention to focus on the people and not make a political commentary on the events, and accordingly this is a resolutely character driven piece that’s concerned with recounting the immediate experience of immigrants, not interrogating the socio-political circumstances they live in.

If there’s a problem it’s the inevitability of the tale and whilst thoroughly engaging the outcome is rarely in doubt and surprises are rare, making the effect of the final scenes a little muted. Likewise there are odd scenes that are almost stock and feel a necessity rather than a development; Smiley showing off a gun to his little buddies for one.

Latin American cinema (an admittedly broad term) is often praised for its passion, vibrancy and emotional intensity and this is of course all true but what stands out here is good old-fashioned storytelling, and though not quite the stunningly original film some would have you believe, it is a thrilling journey that pleasingly meets expectations.

Sin Nombre is at UK cinemas from 14th August.


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