Wed 2 Dec 2009
I recently watched a great film called Sin Nombre directed by Cary Fukunaga. I saw a preview for it based on another film from the same production company, Focus Feature Films, which produces many foreign language films. It is the same company that produced The Motorcycle Diaries. I also try to watch as many movies in Spanish or regarding Mexico as possible, so Sin Nombre appealed to me. It subtitled, as it is in Spanish and varying indigenous Mexican dialects; the linguistic differences are also very interesting. The main themes of the film are gang violence, troubled youth, and the survival tactics of an immigrant.
Sin Nombre simultaneously delves into the lives of two young Latin Americans whose paths cross by a strange turn of events. It is about a young Honduran girl, Sayra, who is forced to migrate with her family to the United States, passing through Mexico on the way. According to her story, it is a very accurate portrayal of an illegal immigrant’s struggle to enter into the United States and the many dangers one may face along the way. During her journey, she meets a Mexican gang member named Casper, who is the film’s other main character. His side of the story illustrates the life of a young gang member from Chiapas; it is accurate in the fact that it is very graphic and portrays a real gang affiliation. Casper and Sayra strangely meet on a train towards northern Mexico. They become involved and must later rely on each other to make it to the United States alone in hopes of a better life and escaping their pasts.
Some questions that came to mind while watching the film were about the accuracy of the depiction of an immigrant. For example, do many people really go on foot all the way from Central America to the United States? How do immigrants of varying nationalities perceive each other? Are there many networks of people that are so willing to help migrants in crossing? The film presents many questions, but does a great job of portraying an immigrant’s strategy of passing through Central America on foot, hitch hiking, trainhopping, and by the use of coyote. Next, Sin Nombre is a great example of the resentment felt between varying immigrant groups. In Mexico, people tend to have negative stereotypes of Guatemalans or other Central Americans; on the contrary, once in the United States, the majority of Hispanic immigrants are assumed to be Mexican. Finally, the film seemed to convey that many clandestine organizations are willing to help immigrants in crossing, whether it is the train conductors or people that provide cheap lodging.
Many topics from class were also addressed in the film. For example, Professor Winship’s presentation about the youth in El Salvador applied to the film in the aspect of many children living away from their immigrant parents, as way the case with Sayra. His presentation was also relevant to the topic of youth violence, which was a focal point of the film. Professor Schemenauer’s presentation on the connotations of women traffickers was also relevant in the aspect of Sayra as a young, female immigrant. Overall, I really enjoyed the film and would recommend it to anyone interested in Mexican gangs, immigrant journeys, or the youth of Central America.
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:07 pm
I did that same thing. I watched this movie. It was good but sad because I was caught up in the story between Casper and Sayra.
I still can’t believe how poor those people were in Mexico and Honduras. If I were Casper and Sayra I would not have been able tried to escape. I would have liked to but there would be too much car patrol watching us.
Jennifer didn’t talk about Casper’s death and his death was because he lied to his master/gang leader that Martha was not his girlfriend but had to return his gun. He was then being watched by the assistant gang leader. Then he was told if he lied to the leader again then the leader would kill casper himself. And I wonder if after the leader was killed if the assistant found out that Sayra was his new girl then they were told to kill him. Smiley was told to kill Casper because he wanted to prove to the gang that he wasn’t afraid of anything. So Smiley shot Casper 3 times in the chest. After that part, I cried for at least 2 hours, because I was so caught up in that story.
Finally, I wrote on my post that I’m going to write a letter to the director saying we need to find a way to help those illegal immigrants come to America. It is so sad of why they have to live like that. If I had more time to write about this whole movie, I could have gone on forever it seems.