Sin Nombre (2008)

Sin Nombre won the awards for cinematography and direction at Sundance 2009 and it is obvious why.  This is a moving film and not to be missed.

It follows the intertwining stories of Sayra and Casper on a train through Mexico to the USA border.  Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) is a teenager living in poverty in Honduras who is reunited with her father and has no choice but to journey with him to America in search of a better life.  Meanwhile, Casper (Edgar Flores) is a teenage member of a real-life gang, the Mara Salvatrucha, in Mexico. Casper is also mentor to the gang’s newest and most impressionable recruit Smiley.  This gang are the real deal and seriously scary.  Their leader Lil’ Mago is tattooed from head to toe, and his despicable actions with Casper’s girlfriend set in motion a tragic chain of events.

The bulk of the film is set on top of a States-bound freight train, from which the view is devastatingly beautiful and a testament to the 35mm film used by director of photography Adriano Goldman.  The shots of the Mexican landscape are rich, engulfing and almost epic in a Laurence of Arabia vein.  There are some delightfully dark and humorous moments in the film, such as at stations where the rogue riders jump off the train, detour around the guards and re-board the train before it leaves town.

Following a fateful decision by Casper on board the train, Sayra attaches herself to him and a bond forms between the two teenagers.  The writer/director Cary Fukunaga met the gangs and travelled on top of a freight train and his experience adds a tangible authenticity to the story.  The acting is superb, and I would not be surprised if this role was a real breakthrough for Paulina Gaitan, who is sculpted in the mould of Salma Hayek.  Edgar Flores's portrayal of Casper was deceptively professional (this is his debut film), and the chemistry between the two carries the film.

Director: Cary Fukunaga
Starring: Paulina Gaytan, Edgar M. Flores
Certificate: 15
Runtime: 101 minutes (approx.)
Special Features: Feature Commentary, Deleted Scenes
Release date: 1 February 2010
RRP(DVD): £17.99
RRP (Blu-ray): £21.99

Jason Druker, Addleshaw Goddard