Debut writer/director Cary Fukunaga's meticulous tale of Central American immigrants attempting to make their way into America is a distinctive independent film that fires on all cylinders.
Winner of directing and cinematographic awards at Sundance, "Sin Nombre" ("Without a Name") follows two teenagers traveling north from Honduras with dozens of similar refugees.
Casper (Edgar Flores) is entrenched in the gang life of the Mara Salvatrucha brotherhood. When he introduces 12-year-old recruit Smiley (Kristyan Ferrer), they undertake an initiation assassination of a rival gang member.
The Mara gang's uncontrollable violence leads Casper to kill its leader during an attempted robbery, thereby making him a marked man on the run for his life. Riding atop a freight train, Casper is befriended by Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) a girl traveling toward the Rio Grande with her father and uncle.
"Sin Nombre" is a convincing verite-styled drama that pulls you into its dangerous universe of desperation and immediacy. Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal share Executive Producer credits on this must-see movie.
