SIN NOMBRE (Cary Fukunaga, 2009)
Chris: I’m Christopher Misch of Next Projection and he’s Chadd Roman of the University of Western Ontario, and today we are going to look at the rather unsettling Mexican film, Sin Nombre. This is actually the debut feature from American born filmmaker, Cary Fukunaga who’s only other credits before this were a few well received student films. From the onset, Sin Nombre adopts a duel storyline structure with one half of the film telling the story of a Mexican gangster named Willy, who is trying to escape from a violent past after his fellow gang members discover he has been neglecting his duties while secretly spending time away with his girlfriend, the beautiful Martha. The other story the film follows is that of Sayra who along with her father and uncle are on a demanding journey across the Mexican countryside in search of America and a new life. Willy’s and Sayra’s stories collide on the top of a train where one brutal act will change the course of both their futures forever.
Chris: Now, while I admire the intent of the film, it’s certainly not without its share of problems. Willy’s character didn’t seem to be terribly intriguing in any sense especially given his dire circumstances or particularly well acted either. There is also the issue of the romantic ark between Willy and Sayra feeling rushed and at times unconvincing, as the film struggles to find a workable balance between its romantic and gangster elements. That being said newcomer, Fukunaga illustrates maturity and vision beyond his years in capturing both the beauty and brutality of the Mexican landscape. And, as predictable as the ending is when it is comes down to it, it’s still pretty devastating, so Chadd I say “SEE IT” because as directorial debuts go there is no doubt this one is quite strong.
Chadd: A very strong directorial debut indeed, Chris; and, I agree with the “SEE IT” sentiment. I must admit right off the bat that I do not agree with a few of the points you’ve addressed. First off, I believe that the romance between Willy and Sayra needed to be “rushed.” I’ll admit it seemed to happen rather quickly; them meeting and Sayra developing a strong emotional bond to the guy that saved her innocence. But without it’s hasty development, I really think it would have taken away from the impact of the sort of fast paced situation that the Honduran family was in, as well as the dire situation that Willy himself was in. I can’t explain how annoying I find being bogged down in romantic sub-plots is. Sure, an additional 20 minutes might have done well to further develop it, but it certainly wouldn’t be a point that I would bother complaining about as I thought it was quite effective as Fukunaga left it.
However, you’re right on about the frankly, rather lackluster character of Willy. But I must admit that I found the actor to be completely serviceable in the role and wouldn’t necessarily bring up poor acting on his part. I certainly think it was a bold move on Fukunaga’s part to use Flores; relying on a rather no name actor to carry the film. Furthermore, I think it represents Fukunaga’s will to make his portrayal of the mexican gang scene authentic. Though, being Fukunaga’s debut, would he have access to bigger name actors? I’m sure he did as Bernal produced it. Regardless, I think Flores was quite effective in his role as El Casper.
Chris: To be completely honest, I would have loved to spend another twenty or so minutes with these two characters, and the film probably would have been better for it in my mind. However moving on from one “serviceable” performance as so you put it, to one that for me just brought the overall picture together for me; that being the performance of a talented young actress, Paulina Gaitán. In the film plays Sayra, and she is just splendid here; giving such a simple and graceful performance that it brings to mind Catalina Sandino Moreno’s award winning role in Joshua Marston’s Maria Full of Grace. And in the same vain as that film the conclusion to Sin Nombre even amongst so much chaos and brutality still offers us a sense of hope, no matter how small it is.
Chadd: Gaitán was fantastic and the reason I think she was fantastic stems back to the fact that the romantic plot between Willy and her was so brief. She really needed to sell the fact that she was growing strong feelings for Willy in the short time that she had to work and she pulls it off quite masterfully. An additional 20 minutes wouldn’t really have provided much beyond what was already established; the romance between the two characters was rather one sided. Willy was completely heartbroken and while he was open to befriending and helping Sayra he couldn’t open up romantically to another person. Besides, as you so aptly said, the ending was rather predictable; Willy knew his fate and couldn’t drag someone else into it. Ultimately, this allows Willy one last chance to redeem his violent lifestyle.
Going back to the comment you made earlier of the ending being predictible, yet devastating, I think it’s fair to say that most of the emotional impact is the result of Gaitán’s ability to sell the emotional side of Sayra. It was really impressive given said predictability. There really are no secrets regarding what is going to happen to Casper, yet, the over all impact isn’t effected regardless of your expectations.
Explore posts in the same categories: 2009, Chadd, Chris, Film ReviewTags: Cary Fukunaga, Sin Nombre
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