Sundance Journal 2009 Day 5: Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre

I forget the name of the programming director who presented the film, but the words (and I might be paraphrasing here) “seasoned pro” certainly do apply to Cary Joji Fukunaga and his feature length thriller debut. Totally immersing the viewer in harrowing tale that Central Americans who make the journey north to the land of Starbucks and Wallmart will immediately identify with,
Sin Nombre is pins and needles good with a strong package of well-written characters driving the antagonist and protagonist forces to several deadly ends.

I’d seen a television documentary program on the similar plight of a Honduras immigrant having to survive that crazy trek north – fighting off not necessarily the gangs who control sections of the different plains, but on the dangers of embarking on trains that don’t come with assigned seating. Funkunaga delivers a true adrenaline rush that I equate to the vivacity found in Amores Perros. I’m hoping to get into contact with the filmmaker before the film’s release this coming March (via Focus Features).