Week 16

"Sin Nombre"

"Sin Nombre" a feature debut film written and directed by Cary Fukunaga in 2009, is a modern immigration saga of two young people on a journey to escape their past.  “Sin Nombre”, which means “without a name” won awards in 2009 for best direction and cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival.  The Oakland native writer-director was inspired to create this film after learning about 80 illegal immigrants who were found locked in an abandoned truck in Texas in 2003, where 19 people died.

Sayra, along with her father and uncle, leave Honduras for New Jersey, USA in the hopes of a better life.  They journey on foot to Mexico and then continue through Mexico on the top of freight trains.  Casper is a young gang member who, along with the heavily tattooed leader, “Lil’ Mago” of the gang “Mara Salvatrucha” and a 12 year-old recruit “Smiley”, boards the train to rob those traveling on top.  After robbing and beating many of the travelers on the train, Mago attempts to rape Sayra.  Casper intervenes and ends up killing Mago.  Now, with a death sentence on his head, Casper must attempt to escape this influential Mexican gang in the effort to save his life.  Sayra and Casper form a bond of friendship and continue their northbound journey together.

The story line is simple and straightforward.  However, the implications of the story are compelling, frightening and thought provoking.  The story illustrates the difficult journey many people attempt in the effort to obtain a better life.   The travelers are willing to endure many obstacles and challenges during their journey – robbery, starvation, humiliation, deportation, weather and death.  During their journey, Casper decides to leave Sayra and her family in order to keep them from harm and when Sayra realizes that he has gone, she leaves the train to go after Casper.  When her father and uncle notice that Sayra is missing, they realize that there is nothing they can do to help her – she’s on her own.  The border patrol boards the train and in their attempt to escape, Sayra’s father falls off the train and is killed when he is trapped under the moving wheels.  Her uncle is captured and deported back to Honduras.  Sayra and Casper manage to make it to the boarder and while Sayra is crossing the river with the assistance of paid help, the gang catches up with Casper and guns him down, with Smiley being the first one to fire a shot.

What I find most frightening is the psychological hold the gang has on a member’s life; especially with vulnerable young kids.  Smiley, attracted to the power and peer status of gang life, is willing to undergo the initiation process of “13 seconds of hell”, where the recruit is savagely beaten by all members for 13 seconds.  Afterwards, the leader, Mago, lovingly takes Smiley into his arms and kisses him.  The next step in the initiation process, Smiley has to kill a rival gang member.  A target has been captured and caged like a wild animal.  Smiley is given a homemade gun and Casper guides him through the steps to help him complete his initiation.  Afterward, a shaken Smiley is comforted by Mago and Casper.  Smiley struggles with his internal moral conscious but is reassured by the gang, that he is loved and part of the family.  By this time, all previous perceptions of morality evaporate.

Freire and his Ideas on Oppression...

This movie clearly illustrates the power of oppression but also the equally powerful desire to escape an oppressive life. Sayra wanted to leave a life that had no promise for her future.  Casper became disillusioned with the gang after Mago kills the one woman he loved.  Casper comes to understand that loyalty to the gang is upmost and that the gang will not allow anything to interfere with this loyalty.  Love is a powerful threat to the gang and Mago understands that Casper’s love will always be more important than the needs of the gang or the motives of its leader.  This type of power and control is very similar to abusive relationships which provide a false sense of love, belonging, and security.  Freire discusses the psychological hold the oppressor has on its victims and how difficult it is to break away from the cycle of abuse.  Casper got a taste of true love and a life outside of the gang and although I don’t believe he planned to kill Mago, when Casper saw Mago attempting to rape Sayra, he reacted out of pent-up rage to justify the loss of his true love.  Fearing for his life, Casper attempts to escape, even though he knows that escape is futile.

Additionally, Freire noted that sometimes, those who were previously oppressed, in turn, become the oppressors.  Although once oppressed, Smiley becomes the oppressor through his involvement with the gang. 

While watching the movie, I was reminded of the painting from MOLaa titled, “The Exodus”.  Both the painting and the movie illustrate the pain and suffering people are willing to endure in order to leave an oppressive or futureless life.  The road or exodus is not easy and the individuals are sad and frightened to leave, but looking ahead allows the only hope for a future.  For many, the powerful desire for escape, freedom and a future is so strong that many are willing to risk everything.  Like Casper, many would rather die than continue their oppressive situations.

Transcends Borders…

This story, based upon real life situations, illustrates occurrences of oppression still happening today.  In every culture, oppression still occurs and people attempt to escape from these chains.  Spousal abuse, child abuse, sex-slave trade, and prostitution still occur in all countries.  This compelling and haunting story transformed my thought process about illegal immigration and provided a context for understanding what people are willing to go through to get to America.  This movie planted a seed of compassion that allowed me the opportunity to view this situation through a different viewpoint and provide some of the many reasons why people put their lives on the line for weeks and months and endure incredible hardships to come north.  This movie might help to shatter illusions as to how and why people are compelled to struggle through oppressive and difficult situations in order to bring about change in their own lives.  This desire and compelling force is universal and transcends all borders. 

Classmates Review from Week 14

Beatriz was able to see how a culture, personal struggle and a country's way of life was displayed and represented through art and sculpture.

Kelsey looked at Hugo Lugo's artwork, The Speech (El Discurso) 2006, which reminds her of how it is so hard to speak your mind because of everyone's opinions about certain topics.

Kim has a greater appreciation for the museum because she can now see how it expresses the lives and struggles of the artists. 

Logan feels he has a better appreciation for the museum and the artists of Latin America as a result of this class, Freire, and the films we've watched.

Maria found that in this visit to MOLAA, she paid more attention to the intentions of the artists.

Michael previously wrote mostly about Carlos Luna's style of art and of the materials and techniques that he used.  Looking back and seeing the art again, Michael was able to see Luna's view of culture expressed through the different art work that he has created.

Michele has a greater appreciation for the museum than while I viewed the artwork in week 5.

Robert now understands so much more about the contributing factors of history, which all directly affect today’s culture in these Latin American countries and is reflected in the work of MOLAA's artists.

Sara now wonders how different things influence the artists and their work or even their social or economical status at the time the art was created.

Susan now appreciates how the history of a culture, its beliefs, and customs of the artists and their country is reflect in the artwork.