Starring: Paulina Gaitán, Edgar Flores, Kristyan Ferrer
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Country: Mexico
Genre: Foreign, Drama, Crime

A brave tale of romance and survival.

There are many films that try to capture the essence of a particular aspect of a culture and either get caught up in the mundane details or get glossed over by over-stylization (Amores Perros.) But Sin Nombre is able to bottle the anxiety and quiet dignity of its characters in a very realistic and subtle way. It joins two separate stories of crime and hope into a story of redemption and perseverance. The performance of it’s main character by Edgar Flores is heartfelt and genuine. The film finds great balance; it’s dramatic, but not melodramatic, it’s hopeful, but not preachy, it’s romantic without glorification. I certainly consider this to be well above the cut of best films of 2009.