There have been a lot of films that have come and gone in 2009 that I have simply loved and will truly never forget. From "Where the Wild Things Are" to "Up", these are films that will fight to earn their right on my top ten films of the year. Yet, there are a few films that have gone beyond the aforementioned films and have seemingly sewn up a spot in my top ten. Such a distinction (regardless of how prestigious it may or may not be) belongs to two films: "The Hurt Locker" and "(500) Days of Summer." But, I'm happy to report that the elite group has recently changed after my viewing of "Sin Nombre," a Mexican film from the talented director/writer Cary Fukunaga.
As slightly eluded to in the title of this review, "Sin Nombre" is a film based on the notion of escaping to a better life, or at least a perceived better life. In the first half hour or so of the film, we follow two separate lives. In one strand, we follow the life of Casper, a gang member who is starting to have doubts about his place in the world. On one side, Casper has his ultra violent gang who depict a tight brother hood, but are willing to kill a member at the slightest misstep. On the other side, Casper is trying to develop a relationship with a young woman, but instead of building his prowess through his thug persona, Casper is desperately trying to conceal it, full well knowing budding romance and the gang life don't mix. Eventually these two aspects, independent of another with much effort by Casper, come to a head and deliver what is a violent epiphany for Casper.
Accompanying Casper's story is the tale of Sayra, a Honduran teen who is hoping to immigrate to the United States with the help of her father. Sayra is a conflicted young woman who sees opportunity in the United States, but doesn't know if the risk she's taking (trying to circumvent border patrol) is worth the potential of a dream. And to make things even harder for Sayra, her relationship with her father is practically non-existent since he has been living most of her life in America, raising another family. As you have probably guessed, the stories of Casper and Sayra eventually intersect, and when they do, it is one of the most powerful scenes in the film. In this one scene alone you get to see the taste of redemption Casper yearns for, all the while you know he has put a bounty on his own head. Yet, with nothing to lose and really nothing to live for, Casper finds his road to perdition through assisting Sayra across the border despite the many pitfalls that lie ahead of them.
Yes, because of its subject matter, Fukunaga mixes in splashes of violence and some thrilling "chase" moments, but the real drama comes from Fukunaga's characters as they continually develop throughout the film. With each trial and tribulation, both characters recognize a fear in one another and in many respects a form of trust that propels them to an ending that is at best bittersweet. Yet, no matter how one looks at the ending, it will be awfully hard for any viewer to not respect the determination and courage Sayra and Casper show. After all, they're risking everything just to have the slightest chance of escaping their previous lives. From this, comes the most rewarding part of the film: a much needed perspective on the trials and desires immigrants face coming into America. As seen in "Sin Nombre", the path is troublesome and paved with blood, sweat, and tears, but more importantly, it's built on this notion of achieving a form of freedom and opportunity not seen in any other country in the world. Even though some pundits say they steal "our" jobs or some even say they don't belong, but how can we deny people the very same goals and aspirations we too are reaching for, especially when they lay it all on the line?
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