Sin Nombre (2009)

A Honduran young girl and a Mexican gangster are united in a journey across the American border.

Director:

Cary Joji Fukunaga (as Cary Jôji Fukunaga)

Writer:

Cary Joji Fukunaga

Stars:

Paulina Gaitan, Marco Antonio Aguirre, Leonardo Alonso

14 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marco Antonio Aguirre	...	Big Lips
Leonardo Alonso	...	Policía Judicial
Karla Cecilia Alvarado	...	Marera
Juan Pablo Arias Barrón	...	Niño #3
Rosalba Belén Barrón	...	Niño #2
Felipe Castro	...	Marero (as Sixto Felipe Castro)
Rosalba Quintana Cruz	...	Tierra Blanca Mujer
Marcela Feregrino	...	Kimberly
Kristyan Ferrer	...	El Smiley (as Kristian Ferrer)
Edgar Flores	...	Willy 'El Casper'
Giovani Florido	...	El Sipe (as Giovanni Florido)
Paulina Gaitan	...	Sayra
Ariel Galvan	...	Migrante #1
Diana García	...	Martha Marlene
Gabriela Garibaldi	...	Diana

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

attempted rape | mexico guatemala border | border | girl | railway station | 

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Taglines:

The greatest sin of all is risking nothing.

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Mexico USA

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

17 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sin Nombre

Filming Locations:

Torreón, Coahuíla, Mexico

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$81,446, 22 March 2009

Gross USA:

$2,536,665

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,102,705

Company Credits

Production Co:

Scion Films, Canana Films, Creando Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title "Sin Nombre" translates as "without a name."

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Goofs

The teardrop tattoo on el Casper's right eye is missing in two consecutive scenes on the top of the train but is visible on his face throughout the movie both before and after these scenes on the train. Interestingly, the tattoo is an important identifying mark/symbol in the movie and is specifically highlighted by gang members when asking locals if they have seen Casper as they try to find him and hunt him down.

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Quotes

Sayra: Back home, my friend Clarissa made me see this crazy neighbor, Doña Eleanor, you know, like witchcraft? She smoked this puro, then told me with her freaky voice that I'd make it to the U.S. but not in God's hand, perhaps in the Devil's.

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.8 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Déjate Caer
Written by Eduardo Dávalos De Luna, Román Leonardo Rodríguez López, Alan Alejandro Maldonado Támez,
30 M. Cárdenas
Performed by Cartel de Santa
Courtesy of Sony BMG Music Entertainment (México), S.A. de C.V.

User Reviews

Failed to fully deliver

After watching El Norte (a great film, by the way), I wanted to find more films about an immigrant's journey to the U.S. Upon finding Sin Nombre, I wanted to like it. I was determined to watch it with an open mind and a serious attitude . . . and the movie turned out decent, for the most part, but something essential was missing.

Soul.

Before tagging me as "sentimental" and skipping the rest of my review, understand that a film about people's suffering needs well developed characters who truly embody the reality they represent. Sayra did not. I found her and a couple other characters to be not quite believable. Their struggles were obviously seen from an outsider's perspective who only detailed the violence, and not even the full violence. I felt alienated watching this film, a feeling I didn't get whilst watching El Norte. El Norte had its share of plot holes, but it delivered in terms of emotional impact. It made me truly care. This film showed the violence, but forgot to treat its characters as actual people.

The movie also came off as a typical thriller. Good guys, bad guys, bad guy gone good, etc. Where is the life? I wanted something that explored the emotional journey more. The cinematography and music are top notch, and the tattoos were a nice touch. However, this film did not seem genuine. It seemed very fabricated. The actors themselves were believable. It was the script that put me off.

However, I did really enjoy seeing the journey of the youngest major character of the film. It was chilling to think about.