‘Sin Nombre’: A Film That Challenges National Perspectives
Immigration and the American Dream
It has been fifteen years since Cary Joji Fukunaga’s breakthrough film “Sin Nombre” (2009) was released into theaters on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, and its controversial subject matter has become increasingly contentious ever since. As the flow of migrants into the U.S. has risen to an all-time high, stories about desperate migrants looking to cross the border to their own American Dreams have not only become the subjects of nightly news broadcasts, but the debate over controlling the border has complicated American politics and is likely to be a top issue in the upcoming election. People are passionate about immigration on both sides of the debate, and “Sin Nombre,” despite being somewhat overlooked by mainstream audiences, tells the immigrant story with a broad appeal to the heart of humanity in all of us.
“Sin Nombre,” which translates as “nameless” or “without name,” focuses on two migrant stories, one involving a Honduran family on their way to meet relatives in New Jersey, and the other centering on Willy (Edgar Flores), an adolescent gang recruit who flees his organization in response to its leader’s abusive behavior. The youngest of the Honduran family, Sayra (played by Paulina Gaitan), meets Willy on the way to “the Beast,” the infamous and…
