Friday, May 22, 2009

Sin Nombre

Two nights ago, my roommates and I went to see the movie Sin Nombre. It's an indie film in limited release right now and entirely in Spanish. This is first feature film I've seen in months that was actually in it's first-run, wide(ish) release. I've been to see special screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse, but those were small films with one-time showings.

But back to Sin Nombre. It's an intense film that focuses on the intersecting stories of two teenagers trying to immigrate from Central America to the U.S. Willy is on the run from his Mexican gang, while Sayra is leaving Honduras with her father and uncle. While the plot is pretty fast-paced, the film has a strong sense of realism. I left feeling that it was an accurate representation of gang violence and immigration.

I still haven't quite recovered--it's violent and, at times, disturbing. But it presents the characters with empathy and dignity, and the stark realism is, oddly, refreshing. It's worth seeing, although I'm not sure I'll be watching it again for at least several months.

1 comment:

Heather Johnson said...

I heard about this on NPR I think. If I remember correctly the director/writer lived with these people and jumped trains with them before making the film.