Sin Nombre: Best Film of 2009 So Far, Stunning Directorial Debut

"Sin Nombre" (Spanish for nameless) is a tough, serious, and beautiful film with an uncompromising view of Latin American poverty and social decay. It is the best film I've seen so far this year. First-time writer/director Cary Fukunaga is a prodigy. What a thrilling new talent. Not surprisingly, he was named Best Director at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

The main characters are a man and woman about 21 years old who meet on top of a freight train in Mexico. (Yes, they are literally on top of a moving train.) The train is bound for the United States, where they and the hundreds of others sitting alongside them hope to build new lives.

He is from the local area in Mexico. She walked all the way from Honduras to find a U.S.-bound train. (Yes, she literally walked from Honduras, her feet bloodied from the ordeal.) He is trying to escape gang warfare; she is trying to escape poverty. The circumstances under which they meet are extremely violent. A word of caution: "Sin Nombre" does not pull any punches. The brutal underbelly of Latin American poverty is exposed fully. This is not a film for the faint of heart. 

Guess how many people on the train will make it to the United States. Ninety percent? 50%? 1%? What happens to those who don't make it? What could be so hard about riding a train to the U.S.? Watch and learn.

But "Sin Nombre" is far from a social-studies lesson. We learn so much about the characters, especially about the young man, that we become emotionally invested in the story. The narrative is aided by a remarkable set of acting performances, especially from Edgar Flores, the male lead. Flores, who has acted in only one other film, is a real find and deserves consideration for a Best Actor Oscar. He is the kind of actor who can convey a character's soul just with his eyes. Flores' brooding introspection is reminiscent of Heath Ledger's best work. Flores even looks uncannily like the late actor (who will be terribly missed).

Flores' character has been in a gang for years but has begun to have second thoughts about gang life. Several violent encounters and a dramatic heat-of-the-moment decision cause his life to suddenly turn, unleashing consequences that put his life in grave danger. "Sin Nombre" does a wonderful job keeping the drama taut but not letting it take over the film. It never devolves into a chase movie. The director's attention always is on the characters' inner lives, even when they're in the midst of whirlwind drama.

Rarely does a film come around that is interesting for the mind, soulful for the heart, and pulse-quickening to keep you on edge. It's all there with "Sin Nombre." Thanks to Focus Features for giving Americans the opportunity to see this powerful and thought-provoking film.