Sin Nombre (2009)

The first half of the film is undeniably powerful. In it, we meet both Casper, a lieutenant in a brutal Mexican gang, and Sayra, a young Honduran undertaking the life-threatening trip from her impoverished hometown to the states.

The first of the film feels so authentic and was so truly nerve-wracking, that it lets the second-half down. Casper and Sayra become tied to each other after mutual trauma, but instead of letting us fully feel the stress and terror, the mood became emotionally removed; almost a made-for-TV feel. Perhaps I should be celebrating its lack of sensationalism...but it felt more like a lack of honesty.

B-