Sin Nombre (2009)starring: Edgar Flores, Paulina Gaitan, Kristian Ferrer, Diana Garcia,
dir. Cary Fukunaga
I don't know when the last power house debut was, but this has to be up there with the best of them. Writer/Director Cary Fukunaga has delivered a jaw dropping movie that is emotionally engrossing and technically stunning. This is the best film of the year, so far, and hopefully will not be forgotten when award season starts rolling around in eight months. But my praise isn't just the fact that it is an astonishing first film, it would be a great acomplishment coming from a seasoned filmmaker.
Two parallel stories converge on a road trip to escape. For one family it is to get back to America. The father was deported back to Honduras and is going to smuggle himself and his Honduran daughter over the border. For a Mexican gang member it is to escape fellow members who have "greenlit" him to be killed after slaying their leader. Both of these stories collide atop a train moving towards Texas and "freedom".
It's a road trip movie that doesn't fall under the standard conventions. There is no wandering, no existential crisis, the endpoint is clear and definite. The opportunity to start over even though the odds of getting there are near impossible must be taken in order to gain your freedom. But what happens if you do get there?
It is impossible to predict events that take place because Fukanaga is not as concerned about plot as much as he is in all of the uncontrollable forces that push people towards a final outcome. Simply put, fate. Initial actions set in place the roles that will be doled out to these characters, even if they don't deserve it, or earned it. That's how fate works, sinners and saints are all treated equally in the eyes of an uncaring universe.
This is a film that makes a person impatient to see what Cary Fukanaga does next. I'll remain optimistic that his work will contnue to grow and evolve and hope that fate doesn't have something else in store for him.
Two parallel stories converge on a road trip to escape. For one family it is to get back to America. The father was deported back to Honduras and is going to smuggle himself and his Honduran daughter over the border. For a Mexican gang member it is to escape fellow members who have "greenlit" him to be killed after slaying their leader. Both of these stories collide atop a train moving towards Texas and "freedom".
It's a road trip movie that doesn't fall under the standard conventions. There is no wandering, no existential crisis, the endpoint is clear and definite. The opportunity to start over even though the odds of getting there are near impossible must be taken in order to gain your freedom. But what happens if you do get there?
It is impossible to predict events that take place because Fukanaga is not as concerned about plot as much as he is in all of the uncontrollable forces that push people towards a final outcome. Simply put, fate. Initial actions set in place the roles that will be doled out to these characters, even if they don't deserve it, or earned it. That's how fate works, sinners and saints are all treated equally in the eyes of an uncaring universe.
This is a film that makes a person impatient to see what Cary Fukanaga does next. I'll remain optimistic that his work will contnue to grow and evolve and hope that fate doesn't have something else in store for him.
10 out of 10
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