Emigration train - Sin Nombre

Issue movies can be preachy and one sided, hot button issue movies usually double down on preachy and one sided. But the immigration debate, which has come under a lot of cinematic scrutiny lately, has found its clearest voice in two films that have absolutely no interest in preaching. They make their point by examining the individual life caught in the net of politics, policy and poverty. One is last years gentle story of friendship called "The Visitor" (An Oscar nominee for Best Actor and it deserved more nominations, especially in the acting categories). Since that film got a fair amount of attention (you should see it if you havn't) I'll move on to the 2009 entry into the immigration debate.
"Sin Nombre" is anything but a gentle story, although friendship does come into play. This immigration (actually emigration) story details the lives of the people who are driven to come here, and more importantly, what they go through to get here. Two people meet on a train (and I mean ON a train) both moving north for different reasons, one for opportunity and one for survival.
This isn't a story about America. That's just the destination. This story takes you into a world of gang warfare, murder, rape and lethal loyalty. It's not pretty but you've never seen anything like this before, I guarantee it. And by the end, you'll know why leaving is such an imperative.
The most effective scenes follow an entire immigrant population as they travel on the tops of rail cars toward a better life. Let me repeat that- ON TOP of rail cars.
I live in a city where half the population is latino and had no inkling of what it takes to cross a border for real.
This story has an interesting angle for me. It ties to my own life. My maternal Grandmother walked hundreds of miles to get to the port where the ship that took her to America was docked. Not easy. The characters in "Sin Nombre" go through a similar if not more dangerous journey. Those who make it are fire hardened, determined and driven. Those are the essential qualities of the American character. It's why this country is a great place to live.
You can see this movie on pay-per-view and I understand Netflix has it. It's one of the best films of the year so far. Don't miss it.