Sin Nombre

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.

Honduras isn't a country that is mentioned a great deal in the foreign cinema that makes it to our shores, though the scenarios we are presented with here are familiar ones. Sin Nombre, whilst not breaking new ground in terms of its subject, approaches the matter from a different vantage point and impresses with both visceral presentation, and a clear social conscience.

Since the success of City of God, the way has been paved for a great many films that take gang culture in the poorest communities as their topic of discussion. The difference here is that the gangs are not the main theme of the narrative, the primary concern is the effect that they have on the lives of those around them. To some degree, the criminal underworld is a barrier to bettering their circumstances and the part that is played by violence in preventing average people from achieving their goals, despite the fact that they don't belong to that world, is very much emphasised.

There is perhaps a degree of allegory to the narrative in that innocence is corrupted by violence in the form of the young Kristyan Ferrer's El Smiley. His transformation from innocent schoolboy to heartless gangster is a stark one and drives the point home with unfaltering candour. The initiations are brutal, leaving no room for compassion, and his desire to give up his future for the sense of brotherhood he has witnessed is a truly disquieting aspect of the film. The sense of privilege and superiority innate in his recruiter is abundantly clear in his dealings with the boy's family and this only adds to the attractiveness of becoming part of that life.     

 

All this heartache and suffering can make for uncomfortable viewing at times, but in the best possible way. There is no intention of making the struggles of everyday life more palatable and these challenges are brought sharply into focus. There's a tangible desperation in the desire to escape this degree of poverty, with the hardships encountered being numerous and unforgiving. It comes as little surprise that so many decide to leave in search of a better life by way of the American border.

The lengthy journey that people must take to find this salvation makes up the majority of the film and also digs deeply into the consequences of gang life and ordinary citizens clashing due to grisly circumstance. It's here that the film really comes into its own, raising many questions around whether the potential for redemption in those who have lived their lives steeped in blood even exists. There is hope in Paulina Gaitan's Sayra, the antithesis of El Smiley, seeking a way out of the misery of her homeland and to building a better life for herself and her family. 

Whilst both the setting and some of the circumstances that frame the narrative are nothing new, the contemplative nature of the movie is where its true potency lies. This makes for a picture that stands above the crowd and unflinchingly does its aims justice.

The Verdict:

7.5/10
An affecting film that is unfaltering in its representation of hardship and violence. The questions raised dig deeply into the nature of damnation and redemption, delivering a slice of life in the barrios that is difficult to shake.