Since I am immersed in American culture and society, I almost never watch international films, as I have never really taken the interest in doing so, or even had an opportunity to. This film is really the first international film I have ever seen, and I am glad I watched it. I enjoyed the film overall for a lot of reasons. I thought it was interesting how the viewer is forced to feel sympathy for immigrants when watching, as it shows the reality and how sad this struggle is for people like Sayra and Casper. I think that usually in American movies, immigrants are portrayed as very tough and criminal, and you assume that ALL immigrants are involved with drugs and gangs, which is NOT true, and this film really showed just how emotional the journey is for them. In contrast, in this film, you get a chance to know the characters and really understand that they are people struggling, but only in a different way than us, and we are NOT any better than them. I also liked the bond between Sayra and Casper, and for me, when Casper was shot and killed (by a little boy)! I really felt burdened by the utter sadness and loneliness Sayra was left in, when she was sobbing in the water, surrounded by violence. Although there was chaos around her, it was interesting that she found a secluded, shady place under a tree/ bush where the water was still and calm to completely break down into hysterics, and I think the irony of that made it all the more real and emotional. I think that American movies often have a happy ending to them, and are expected to by Americans. However, I appreciate how in this international film, the ending is NOT happy, and it is overall a very serious and upsetting movie, which, I think, that if it were American, it would be less emotionally heavy, more comical, and end happily, with probably not as many or no deaths at all. However, this is not usually how reality is, and it was for sure a different perspective for me to see, and I would not change the ending. If you were in the shoes of a Mexican immigrant traveling alone, would you join a gang if given the chance if it meant you could potentially keep you safer?Do you prefer the stereotypical "American happy ending" or a more realistic ending like in this film?

I really enjoyed this film because it tells us a great story. It starts off a bit dull and looks like a movie with a low budget and people that aren't star actors, but it shows us how people live in different parts of the world. For example, the gang violence in Mexico is frowned upon by the general population of Mexico.The gangs are in control but in this movie they did not seem to bother the ordinary people as much as their own gang members, rival gangs and the people they know or love. I can only recall gangs bothering ordinary people once or twice through out the whole film. This movie really keeps you up on your feet cause you never know whats going to happen next with the series of twists and turns as the movie progresses. This movie is not like any ordinary American film that we are used to, there is no happy ending. Although I felt like the ending was not as harsh as it could have been; to me the ending of the film was moderate. I learned many things from this film of which I did not know before. One being that the border is not actually a giant wall. In the movie it was portrayed as a.... The movie made me more knowledgeable about their living conditions in Mexico and the great deal of pain that people in Mexico go through to come to America.The movie made me think about how the lives of some people in Mexico can be so poor because of the gangs or by even having gangs in the area. However, some people in Mexico do live normal lives with no gangs related activity around them.

This film is an international film, and once you start watching it you can already tell that the whole movie is not in English, but rather in Spanish, and this is what makes it so captivating to watch. The film is not like most American films that people are used to watching, most American films end with a happy ending or the protagonist in the film ends up having a great life at the end of the film, sometimes even better than before. What makes international films so intriguing is that it is different, but different in a unique and special way. If I had to describe the setting of this film it would be depressing, and violent. I really enjoyed how the film showed daily life in Central America, and how Spanish speaking peoples are affected by gangs. The characters in this film is what made the movie so intriguing to watch, the way they showed their feelings throughout the film, and the way they acted, is what made the movie realistic to similar life situations . This film does include some sexual contact, blood/violence, so if this is not what you prefer to watch, then this film is not the right choice for you. I believe Sin Nombre was a really great film, because it got it's point across, and you can really see what's going on in Central America, and learn about something that you weren't aware of before, or knew of but didn't know how it affects people in Central America . I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars

A wonderful directorial debut for Cary Joji Fukunaga, who actually lived with the subjects to nail the script so so good. The camera work is fine too and gets you into the Mexican/South American atmosphere. A tragedy with two parallel stories : First involves a Honduran teenage girl with her uncle and dad crossing U.S border (illegally) to reunite with her father's other family. Second is about a young hoodlum who is desperate to get out of the gang after loosing his girlfriend. The villain gang has custom-made guns and characteristic face-tattoos which add to novelty to the script. The movie features violence and depressing moments. Also features a sex scene so not for children. The movie's name is "Sin Nombre" meaning 'without name' but still has earned a name as one of the finest foreign films made and a must see for adults who can stand ultra-violence.