Cult Cinema: Sin Nombre

Unfortunately, I put off watching Sin Nombre for the longest time. It was suggested by a friend over a year ago and I just never got around to it until this evening. Now, I'm mad at myself for depriving myself and this site. Once again, I was blown away by a piece of foreign cinema that should have been given much more notice.

Sin Nombre is a gutsy film that never for a second steps outside the boundaries of realism. Without revealing too much, it's a story that deals with a violent gang mentality and the struggle to be free of a society which is over run by poverty and warring factions of rival street gangs.

 This film is the brutal realization of a criminal mentality that has nearly over run a country and tainted their youth with a criminal mindset and altogether lack of respect for human life. This violent ghetto culture is captured perfectly while we are taken on a sad journey across the landscape of Mexico. The scenery is beautiful at times but tainted by the undeniably sad road ahead.

As a fan of gangster films in general, I would highly suggest Sin Nombre. It is not your typical genre film, but is something far greater. Nothing in this movie is over dramatized or saturated with exorbitant violence. This is one of the most realistic pieces of cinema I've seen in years.