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Paulina Gaitan, Edgar Flores, Kristyan Ferrer, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Diana Garcia ... see more see more... , Hector Jimenez , Luis Fernando Pena

Student Academy Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga makes his feature directorial debut with this epic dramatic thriller following a Honduran teenager who reunites with her long-estranged father and attem... read more read more...pts to emigrate to America with him in order to start a new life. Inspired by the director's firsthand experience with Central American immigrants, Sin Nombre opens to find dejected teenager Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) biding her time in Honduras while dreaming of a brighter future. Upon reuniting with the father she hasn't seen in years, Sayra seizes the opportunity to finally make her dreams a reality. Her father has a new family in the United States, and he's preparing to travel with her uncle to Mexico, where they will then cross the border to freedom. Meanwhile, in Mexico, Tapachula teen Casper (aka Casper, played by Edgar Flores), has gotten caught up with the notorious Mara Salvatrucha street gang. He's just delivered a new recruit to the Maras in the form of desperate 12-year-old Smiley (Kristyan Ferrer), and though the youngster's initiation proves particularly rough, she adapts to gang life rather quickly. As involved as Casper is with the Mara, he does his best to keep his relationship with girlfriend Martha Marlene (Diana Garcia) a secret from the gang. Just as Martha encounters ruthless Mara leader Lil' Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) and suffers a grim fate at the hands of the gang, Sayra and her relatives arrive at the Tapachula train yards and prepare to rush a U.S.-bound freight train with a horde of other immigrants. Rather than attempting to gain access to the cars, Sayra and the rest of the immigrants decide to ride atop the train. Little do they realize that their lives are now in danger, because Lil' Mago has recruited Casper and Smiley to rob the immigrants as they make their way to the United States. When dawn comes and Lil' Mago makes his move, Casper finally decides to stand up to the tyrannical gang leader. Now, as the train winds though the Mexican countryside, Sayra's only hope of surviving the journey and making her way to a new beginning is to align herself with Casper as he flees from the most feared gang in Tapachula. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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89% liked it

114 critics

R, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Cary Fukunaga

Release Date: March 20, 2009

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DVD Release Date: September 1, 2009

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Stats: 1,504 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,504)

  • fb619846742
    November 20, 2011
    fb619846742
    A well-made melodrama with firmly rooted Shakespearean underpinnings concerning a gang-member on the run (Edgar Flores) after he murders one of his own, and how he forms an unlikely relationship with a teenage girl (Paulina Gaitan) who has her sights set on getting across the Ame... read morerican border. What director Cary Fukunaga does so well is make us sympathize with both characters involved in the story, despite the fact that they are both aspiring illegal aliens who are knowingly breaking the law. The story is slightly overdone in sections, and sometimes it does not know how to pace itself, but overall it still comes out a winner somehow, someway. The last twenty minutes of the film are particularly thrilling if somewhat predictable. Flores turn as a tortured man scrambling just to survive is absolutely arresting, and the relationship he forms with Gaitan's character is well-managed. As said, sometimes it is over-directed and over-acted, but the story structure remains strong throughout. Not as good as some critics would have you believe, but still a fine movie worthy of one's time thanks to its careful handling of illegal immigration and sympathizing with those that do it.
  • helpahorse
    September 30, 2011
    helpahorse
    This movie was really good. It showed the true side of being in a gang. Everyone in the gang says they are brothers forever and will help each other out whenever it's necessary, then they go and beat/betray/kill each other. It was really disturbing to see the little boy, Smiley, ... read morebecome a gang member because he thought it was cool. He was so young, and was already killing people. It was an awesome movie. Really sad, but really good. The bond between Sayra and Willy was cute, though she was a very, very stupid girl. Jumping off a train to follow a member of a brutal gang? Yeah, not the smartest idea. I really like the movie though. It was sooo good.
  • garyX
    September 28, 2011
    garyX
    A gang member kills his boss when he tries to rape a young immigrant and together they try to make it across the border to the U.S. with his former friends in pursuit. Sin Nombre will no doubt be considered the "Mexican City Of God" by many because of its gangland subject matter ... read moreand young protagonists, but this film is a rather more human tale, more about escaping the life than the crime and brutality depicted in the Brazilian film. It shares a similar dark tone but is more of a road movie showing the bad conditions and hardships endured by the illegal immigrants seeking a new life in the united states as well as the harsh realities they are trying to escape. Edgar Flores puts in a very strong performance as the former thug trying to find something better whilst floundering in a world that no longer makes any sense to him without the friends or purpose in life given to him by his affiliation. Those expecting lots of gangland action and shoot outs may be disappointed, but it's a tense and intelligent story with a moral message that transcends culture and nationality.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    January 24, 2011
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "The greatest sin of all is risking nothing."

    Honduran teenager Sayra reunites with her father, an opportunity for her to potentially realize her dream of a life in the U.S. Moving to Mexico is the first step in a fateful journey of unexpected events.

    ... read more=+2 face="Century Schoolbook">REVIEW
    A superb companion piece to the classic immigrant drama "El Norte," the multi-award-winning "Sin Nombre" tells of a group of people risking life and limb to make a better life for themselves in the promised land of the United States.

    In "Sin Nombre," the huddled masses yearning to be free are huddled atop a train traveling from northern Guatemala to just south of the Rio Grande at the Texas/Mexico border. Sayra is a Honduran teen who, along with her father and uncle, is hoping to hook up with some relatives who have already established themselves in a distant land called New Jersey - so distant that it isn't even included on the torn and faded map the hopeful trio brings along with them on the journey. Willy (aka El Casper) is a member of a violent street gang who is having second thoughts about his commitment to the gang. When Willy and the gang's leader, Lil' Mago, board the train to rob the passengers, Willy ends up defending Sayra from Lil' Mago's violent advances, killing him in the process. Willy suddenly finds himself running for his life from his own gang brothers intent on avenging the death of their leader at the hands of one of their own. Together Sayra and Willy face threats from hunger, fetid water, border patrol agents and gangland retribution as they make their way north to the U.S.

    This is Cary Joji Fukunaga's debut work as a director - and what an astonishingly assured piece of film-making it turns out to be! Fukunaga, who also wrote the screenplay, certainly doesn't pull any punches when it comes to showing the ugly side of life south of the border. The scenes depicting gang life in that area are unerringly brutal and realistic, and the struggles the would-be migrants go through on the way to their destination are portrayed with a vividness that lends a near-documentary feel and air to the film. Yet, there are moments of tremendous warmth and hopefulness in the film as well, particularly in the scenes between Willy and Sayra as they tentatively begin a relationship based on mutual respect and caring. Excellent performances by Edgar Flores, Paulina Gaitin, Tenoche Huerta Mejia and Kristyan Ferrer and superb cinematography by Adriano Goldman add greatly to the film's impact. As thrilling as it is heartbreaking, "Sin Nombre" is a must-see film.
  • itsjustme2004
    October 14, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    Wow...most excellent!! This was a very interesting, and rather shocking look at a part of life in Mexico that I never even imagined. This story was very well done, and the acting superb.
  • Tomassgringo
    September 23, 2010
    Tomassgringo
    I feel guilty just for any moments I have not felt my blessings to be a U.S. citizen. Anyone anti-immigration should watch this movie to understand the desperation and hopes people have about even be illegal, but IN the U.S. Very good movie!
  • danperry17
    April 6, 2010
    danperry17
    Hard to follow all the details in the early going, but don't despair. This film is mercilessly cut, and it's for the better, as the real story - of migration - takes over soon enough. Well acted, well shot and compelling, Sin Nombre presents a completely believable and globally i... read moremportant story that is by times brutal and by others beautiful. An excellent debut by director Fukunaga.
  • rezpatriot
    March 5, 2010
    rezpatriot
    A decent latin american journey through Mexico with tradegy, love, honour. A fable of a story that could span a thousand years and several cultures. Sin Nombre is a gritty but worthwhile movie to watch.
  • rubystevens
    January 14, 2010
    rubystevens
    the story may be somewhat cliched and melodramatic but i'd like to give this 4 stars for strong and gritty realism. impressive and thrilling debut.
  • mrbungle7821
    November 11, 2009
    mrbungle7821
    Part immigrant drama and part crime thriller, this stirring film is one of the rare instances where I was begging it to be longer. Writer/director Cary Fukunaga intertwines two tales, a southern Mexican family riding atop a train car to reach the U.S. border and the moral journey... read more of a gang member who turns on his brothers during a crisis of conscious. Everybody is on the run, from the border patrols to the blood-thirsty gang members seeking vengeance. Fukunaga gives this tale startling realism without diverting to self-consciously docu-drama camerawork. I was fascinated by the details of life atop a train, the determination of these family members for a better life, and I was thrilled with the many near misses and escapes. Sin Nombre is such an accomplished movie that it?s hard to believe that it is Fukunaga?s first feature film. It mixes social commentary with film noir, an unlikely romance and plenty of naturalistic performances. The cinematography is gorgeous and crisp, beautifully showcasing the squalor and arresting countryside. My one complaint is that the movie gets into a new gear of added conflict, and then it quickly comes to an end at an all too brief 96 minutes. I really could have done with another 20-30 minutes of our main characters on the run for their lives. Sin Nombre roughly translates to ?the nameless? and I can all but assure you that Fukunaga is a filmmaker who will most definitely not remain nameless.

    Nate?s Grade: A-

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
May 13, 2009
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

The actors, particularly Flores, have a documentary reality about them. Their reactions to most of their predicaments, even the ones given away too easily by the script, are real in the most human sense. Full Review

Dan Zak
May 7, 2009
Dan Zak, Washington Post

Sin Nombre is pure filmmaking: a great story told in beautiful images. Full Review

Justin Lowe
April 17, 2009
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter

Intense Spanish-language feature debut intrigues but doesn't quite gel.

Tom Long
April 17, 2009
Tom Long, Detroit News

Brutal, wrenching and filled with desperation and meanness, Sin Nombre signals a major new talent in writer-director Cary Fukunaga, who never flinches while telling a story so grim and sad it moves be... Full Review

Colin Covert
April 16, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

This is a stunning feature debut for director Cary Fukunaga. The story borrows from road movies and crime thrillers, but the scenes and situations vibrate with authenticity. Full Review

Christy Lemire
April 16, 2009
Christy Lemire, Associated Press

Sin Nombre is at once subtle and intense, familiar but refreshing, intimate even as it tells a story untold numbers have endured. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
April 10, 2009
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Rich details make the immigration thriller Sin Nombre vivid and haunting. Full Review

Michael Phillips
April 10, 2009
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

As accomplished as Sin Nombre is in many ways, you're always aware of the ever-tightening plot screws, rather than the human beings caught in one threatening situation after another. Full Review

Steven Rea
April 9, 2009
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

[Director] Fukunaga's startlingly impressive first feature is almost ruthless in its depiction of the brutality and degradation confronting the hidden hordes that cross rivers and hop trains trying to... Full Review

James Berardinelli
April 7, 2009
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

More substantive than the average thriller/road movie. Full Review

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