Sin Nombre (2009 film)
Encyclopedia
Sin Nombre is an American and Mexican film written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.
Filmed in Spanish, the film's name means "Nameless". It won several awards, including the prizes for directing and cinematography at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
.
The poster title is stylized as to indicate the connection to the Mara Salvatrucha
gang.
), is a member of the Mara Salvatrucha
gang and lives in Tapachula
, Chiapas
, Mexico
. He introduces a young boy (Kristyan Ferrer
) into his gang, and the boy is given the nickname Smiley after a violent initiation. Casper later helps Smiley to complete this initiation by helping him to execute a rival gang-member. Casper is romantically involved with a girl, Martha Marlen. Fearing for the girl's safety, he keeps the relationship a secret from his gang. His double life causes his gang to doubt his loyalty and his girlfriend his fidelity. When Martha follows Casper to a gathering of his gang, the gang leader, Lil Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejía
), escorts her out, despite Casper's misgivings. Mago attempts to rape Martha and accidentally kills her. Later, he tells a bitter Casper that he will "find another".
Shortly afterward, Mago brings Casper and Smiley to La Bombilla, a location along the train tracks where illegal immigrants stow away on passing trains on their way to the United States. Among the illegal immigrants is a Honduran
family introduced earlier consisting of the teenage girl Sayra (Paulina Gaitán
), her father (Gerardo Taracena
), and her uncle, who are on their way to relatives in New Jersey
. Lil Mago, Casper, and Smiley rob the passengers for any money they have until Lil Mago spots Sayra and attempts to rape her. Casper intervenes, kills Mago, and then sends Smiley off.
Smiley goes back to the gang and reports about Mago's death. The new gang leader, El Sol, accuses Smiley of collusion, to which Smiley timidly protests and begs to be sent to kill Casper to prove his loyalty. El Sol agrees and Smiley travels north to get the help of the local gang members.
On the train, the still shocked Casper keeps aloof from the other passengers. Some try to throw him off the train but Sayra warns him and keeps on approaching him, despite her father's warnings. Casper's knowledge from previously smuggling gang members and avoiding the police proves useful, as he eludes his pursuers. He is finally accepted by Sayra's family but decides to leave the train while the others are sleeping. However, Sayra has followed him. Her father and uncle decide to continue the journey until the train is apprehended by immigration officers.
Traveling north on a car transport organized by a friend of Casper, Casper and Sayra barely escape a trap laid for them and enter an immigrant shelter, where Sayra sees a familiar face. She is informed that her father has died and her uncle has been caught. In disbelief, she rushes off to cry at the chapel, where Casper comforts her.
They reach a river that constitutes the border to the United States. A coyote agrees to take them across one by one. Casper pays the man with his camera containing the cherished pictures of his murdered girlfriend and insists Sayra to go first. As she is halfway across, the gang appears and begins to chase Casper. Casper flees the pursuing gang but runs into Smiley, who shoots him once, then slowly two more times, the last of which in the head. This allowed time for the others to catch up. They then all proceed to empty their magazines and clips into Casper in a sort of execution style, while Sayra struggles to hold on to the raft while she sobs.
The closing scenes show Sayra phoning her father's new family from outside a U.S. mall, her uncle setting off on another attempt to cross the border, and Smiley getting his lip tattooed as a sign of his loyalty to the gang.
The film was also shot in Torreón
, Coahuila
, Mexico. Several of the extras used in the film were actual migrants. Fukunaga said of working with them, "I didn't have to tell them anything - they know how to sit on top of a train."
The executive producers included Diego Luna
and Gael García Bernal
.
Filmed in Spanish, the film's name means "Nameless". It won several awards, including the prizes for directing and cinematography at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
.
The poster title is stylized as to indicate the connection to the Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans and active in urban and suburban areas...
gang.
Plot
Willy, nicknamed El Casper (Edgar FloresEdgar Flores
Edgar Flores is a Honduran actor born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.He starred in the Cary Joji Fukunaga movie Sin Nombre in the role of Willy, nicknamed El Casper, a Mara Salvatrucha gang member in Chiapas, Mexico....
), is a member of the Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans and active in urban and suburban areas...
gang and lives in Tapachula
Tapachula
Tapachula is a town and with a hot, humid climate in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It is located in southern part of the state on the Soconusco coastal plain, near the border with Guatemala, at 14.91° N 92.27° W...
, Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He introduces a young boy (Kristyan Ferrer
Kristyan Ferrer
Kristyan Ferrer is a Mexican child actor in various roles since 2001. He played the role of El Smiley in the award winning film Sin Nombre directed by US director Cary Joji Fukunaga.- Early life and career :...
) into his gang, and the boy is given the nickname Smiley after a violent initiation. Casper later helps Smiley to complete this initiation by helping him to execute a rival gang-member. Casper is romantically involved with a girl, Martha Marlen. Fearing for the girl's safety, he keeps the relationship a secret from his gang. His double life causes his gang to doubt his loyalty and his girlfriend his fidelity. When Martha follows Casper to a gathering of his gang, the gang leader, Lil Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejía
Tenoch Huerta Mejía
Tenoch Huerta Mejía, sometimes just Tenoch Huerta is a Mexican actor born in Mexico City. He has appeared in a number of movies in Latin America and in Spain starring in both feature films and short films...
), escorts her out, despite Casper's misgivings. Mago attempts to rape Martha and accidentally kills her. Later, he tells a bitter Casper that he will "find another".
Shortly afterward, Mago brings Casper and Smiley to La Bombilla, a location along the train tracks where illegal immigrants stow away on passing trains on their way to the United States. Among the illegal immigrants is a Honduran
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
family introduced earlier consisting of the teenage girl Sayra (Paulina Gaitán
Paulina Gaitán
Paulina Gaitán Ruíz is a Mexican actress.-Biography:Gaitán started acting at age 9 and at the age of 12 had an important role in Mexican director Luis Mandoki's Innocent Voices, a tale about the civil war in El Salvador...
), her father (Gerardo Taracena
Gerardo Taracena
Gerardo Taracena is a Mexican film and theatre actor and dancer. He is known for his roles in Apocalypto, Man on Fire, American Family, The Mexican and Sin Nombre...
), and her uncle, who are on their way to relatives in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Lil Mago, Casper, and Smiley rob the passengers for any money they have until Lil Mago spots Sayra and attempts to rape her. Casper intervenes, kills Mago, and then sends Smiley off.
Smiley goes back to the gang and reports about Mago's death. The new gang leader, El Sol, accuses Smiley of collusion, to which Smiley timidly protests and begs to be sent to kill Casper to prove his loyalty. El Sol agrees and Smiley travels north to get the help of the local gang members.
On the train, the still shocked Casper keeps aloof from the other passengers. Some try to throw him off the train but Sayra warns him and keeps on approaching him, despite her father's warnings. Casper's knowledge from previously smuggling gang members and avoiding the police proves useful, as he eludes his pursuers. He is finally accepted by Sayra's family but decides to leave the train while the others are sleeping. However, Sayra has followed him. Her father and uncle decide to continue the journey until the train is apprehended by immigration officers.
Traveling north on a car transport organized by a friend of Casper, Casper and Sayra barely escape a trap laid for them and enter an immigrant shelter, where Sayra sees a familiar face. She is informed that her father has died and her uncle has been caught. In disbelief, she rushes off to cry at the chapel, where Casper comforts her.
They reach a river that constitutes the border to the United States. A coyote agrees to take them across one by one. Casper pays the man with his camera containing the cherished pictures of his murdered girlfriend and insists Sayra to go first. As she is halfway across, the gang appears and begins to chase Casper. Casper flees the pursuing gang but runs into Smiley, who shoots him once, then slowly two more times, the last of which in the head. This allowed time for the others to catch up. They then all proceed to empty their magazines and clips into Casper in a sort of execution style, while Sayra struggles to hold on to the raft while she sobs.
The closing scenes show Sayra phoning her father's new family from outside a U.S. mall, her uncle setting off on another attempt to cross the border, and Smiley getting his lip tattooed as a sign of his loyalty to the gang.
Casting and production
The film was mostly shot in Mexico City. Locations were found there resembling as closely as possible Tegucigalpa and the train station in Tapachula.The film was also shot in Torreón
Torreón
Torreón is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2010, the city's population was 608,836 with 639,629 in the municipality. The metropolitan population, including Matamoros, Coahuila, and Gómez Palacio and Lerdo in adjacent Durango,...
, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, Mexico. Several of the extras used in the film were actual migrants. Fukunaga said of working with them, "I didn't have to tell them anything - they know how to sit on top of a train."
The executive producers included Diego Luna
Diego Luna
Diego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films. He is also known for his roles in Rudo y Cursi and Milk. Luna also had minor roles in Frida and Before Night Falls...
and Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
.
Cast
- Paulina GaitánPaulina GaitánPaulina Gaitán Ruíz is a Mexican actress.-Biography:Gaitán started acting at age 9 and at the age of 12 had an important role in Mexican director Luis Mandoki's Innocent Voices, a tale about the civil war in El Salvador...
as Sayra - Edgar FloresEdgar FloresEdgar Flores is a Honduran actor born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.He starred in the Cary Joji Fukunaga movie Sin Nombre in the role of Willy, nicknamed El Casper, a Mara Salvatrucha gang member in Chiapas, Mexico....
as Willy ("El Casper") - Kristyan FerrerKristyan FerrerKristyan Ferrer is a Mexican child actor in various roles since 2001. He played the role of El Smiley in the award winning film Sin Nombre directed by US director Cary Joji Fukunaga.- Early life and career :...
as Benito ("El Smiley") - Tenoch Huerta MejíaTenoch Huerta MejíaTenoch Huerta Mejía, sometimes just Tenoch Huerta is a Mexican actor born in Mexico City. He has appeared in a number of movies in Latin America and in Spain starring in both feature films and short films...
as Lil Mago - Diana GarcíaDiana Garcia-Life:She was raised in Merced, California and is the oldest of three children. Her parents were migrant field workers who lived in a farm labor camp, California Packing Company Camp #15, when she was born...
as Martha Marlene - Héctor JiménezHéctor JiménezHéctor Jiménez is a Mexican actor best known for playing Esqueleto, Nacho's tag team partner in the movie Nacho Libre. He is also Mr. Tumnus in Epic Movie and the cashier in Wild Hogs. He worked in a theater company in Tijuana for eight years before moving to Mexico City where he worked for a...
as Wounded Man, and Leche - Gerardo TaracenaGerardo TaracenaGerardo Taracena is a Mexican film and theatre actor and dancer. He is known for his roles in Apocalypto, Man on Fire, American Family, The Mexican and Sin Nombre...
as Horacio - Luis Fernando Peña as El Sol
Awards
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Outcome |
| Austin Film Critics Association Austin Film Critics Association The Austin Film Critics Association is an organization of film critics from Austin, Texas.Each year, the AFCA votes on their end of year awards for films released in the same calendar year... Awards |
Best Foreign Language Film | ||
| British Independent Film Awards 2009 British Independent Film Awards 2009 The 12th British Independent Film Awards, held on 6 December 2009 at The Brewery in West London, honoured the best British independent films of 2009.-Best British Independent Film:* Moon* An Education* Fish Tank* In The Loop... |
Best Foreign Film | ||
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | ||
| Chicago Film Critics Association Chicago Film Critics Association The Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association.-Members:Current members include:*Sarah Knight Adamson*Zbigniew Banas*Shelley Cameron*Dave Canfield*Vittorio Carli*Erik Childress*Camerin Courtney*Bonnie DeShong... Awards |
|||
| Best Foreign Language Film | |||
| Most Promising Filmmaker | Cary Joji Fukunaga | ||
| Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | ||
| Deauville American Film Festival Deauville American Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, taking place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan and André Halimi.... |
Jury Prize (tied) | ||
| EDA [Alliance of Women Film Journalists] Award | Best Non-English-Language Film | ||
| 2009 Edinburgh International Film Festival Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival... |
Skillset New Directors Award | Cary Joji Fukunaga | |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association Award | Best Foreign Language Film | ||
| Spirit Awards | |||
| Best Feature | |||
| Best Director | Cary Joji Fukunaga | ||
| Best Cinematography | Adriano Goldman | ||
| 2009 Sundance Film Festival 2009 Sundance Film Festival The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public... Awards (U.S. Dramatic Competition) |
|||
| Directing Award | Cary Joji Fukunaga | ||
| Excellence in Cinematography | Adriano Goldman | ||
| 2009 Stockholm International Film Festival Stockholm International Film Festival The Stockholm International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year in the second half of November... Awards |
|||
| Best First Feature | |||
| Best Actor | Edgar Flores | ||
| FIPRESCI International Film Critics Prize for Best Film | |||
| St. Louis Film Critics Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | ||