If all foreign language films were this good, I would watch them more often. "Sin Nombre", Spanish for "Nameless", follows the lives of two young individuals in Mexico who meet while stowing away on trains in hopes of reaching the U.S. Casper (Edgar Flores) is from Mexico, a member of a gang called Mara Salvatrucha (an actual transnational gang still in existence today). When he murders his group's leader out of revenge for his murdered girlfriend, he knows he must flee or be killed. Sayra (Paulina Gaitán) is from Honduras, traveling with her father and and uncle on the trains with hopes of arriving in New Jersey. Through a series of incidents, the two form a bond, yet Sayra knows very little about the danger Casper is in. The film holds nothing back in its portrayal of the poverty and danger of living in Central America or Mexico. The citizens of many of these countries are stuck in terrible conditions, and risk everything they have in hopes of reaching the U.S. border. The most unique part of the film is how it portrays the side of the immigration debate that we rarely hear about or see. Personally, I have a new-found sympathy for those who try to enter illegally. "Sin Nombre" is a wonderful example of how films can teach and open the eyes of viewers, and can inform unaware viewers of what is going on in their world. While their is little to be said about the performances, the story itself is suspenseful and intriguing from beginning to end. 6 out of 10 stars.
