SIN NOMBRE (2009)

COMMENTARY: The translation of this film's title is "Without Name." It seemed to reference the identity problems that faced a gang member, as well as those facing the illegal immigrants of Mexico and Central America, generally. The film is in Spanish with translations provided. It isn't hard to follow. The locale of this film was south Mexico. However, it did touch on Honduras and Guatemala. There were references to El Salvador and America, especially New Jersey. It provided a stark picture of those parts of Mexico, et al, from which one set of film protagonists sought escape and another set of protagonists sought to survive within. The latter set were involved in a dominant but challenged gang, and one tried to "fly over the coo-coo's nest." Eventually, the two strands of the story converge, bringing with them hope for a new life, budding romantic love, and murderously avenging foes. Life in the Mara was similar to life in the Hotel California: you can "check in" but you can't "check out." That sort of insubordination typically resulted in a death sentence. Nor were the large Mara associations invisible. They tended to stake territorial claims and advertised their presence. Although the hierarchical structure of Mara Salvatrucha appeared to be loose, the Los Angeles MS-13 members usually were deferred to by others. Otherwise, each local unit seemed to choose its own leaders, based typically on reputation for violence, power and respect. Parenthetically, although Mara Salvatrucha was originally an El Salvadoran gang, as the gang expanded, other Central American nationals formed associated Maras. Even southern Mexico became a hotbed of Mara Salvatrucha organizations. MS-13 was allied with the Mexican Mafia, originally a California prison gang, which provided the Salvadorans some protection when they first started to be thrown in jails. The number "13" was added to "MS" to signal this obedience. The structural relationship in this regard bears a resemblance to Masonic Lodges, which are typically obedient to a sponsor. The

United Grand Lodge of England claimed to be the "mother ship" of the "grand" lodges. One might look at the Mexican Mafia as the "mother ship" for a vast array of loosely obedient Maras. The name "Mara" seemed to reference the Spanish word for "gang." However, "Salvatrucha" appeared to be born of an argot that contained elements of slang, or even coded or veiled terminology. One hypothesis was that it referenced El Salvadoran Army Ants, implicitly comparing Mara members to these fierce and determined "soldiers." Another hypothesis was that the term referenced the El Salvadoran peasant guerrillas, who had been trained and organized under the leftist-Marxist banner, FMNL (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front). Parenthetically, one of the organizers of the FMNL was a young American woman, whose parents were East Coast academic types. Although this movie has no direct link or association with either Masons or Marxists, I believe that it is well to keep a wider view of the rise of such organizations and their spreading influence and power. Since ordinarily a state, province or large city should have more lethal power than a gang, when a gang is left free to establish itself, what does that say about the power equation in that jurisdiction? Remember this: two jurisdictions cannot long occupy the same place at the same time. One must achieve hegemony over the other. Readers who have not seen this movie cannot appreciate the very unpromising lifestyles that this largely impoverished area held for its native sons and daughters. In so much as American transnational corporations have exploited this area and people in the name of maximum profits and "shareholders," a debt was, and is, owed by them. Only over the last generation have ordinary American citizens begun to perceive that they will have to atone, as it were, for the crimes of their locally-domiciled, transnational corporations. The Federal Reserve may "bail out" great corporations, as rape is not a crime to the rich, but no one will "bail out" ordinary Americans. The movie opened with a camera shot of rather colorful foilage on trees growing from a pleasant-looking meadow. I was initially reminded of Fall in eastern America, where the leaves changed colors so appealingly. The locale is a town in Chiapas, Mexico. The moviegoer was almost promptly forced to consider what life might have been like in this land had it experienced positive development. Then the protagonist, El Caspar, was seen waking up and getting his act together. One noticed the tattoos on his body. Not good! STORY CAPSULE:

El Caspar awakened, got dressed for the day, including a sidearm, and ambled out. He looked a bit sullen. As he walked into town, he greeted a few young men, who were apparently gang members. He had a swagger about him. As a member of Mara Salvatrucha, he had standing, was respected, and was feared. However, as another mara, or gang, was exerting more pressure on MS-13, El Caspar had to keep his eyes opened. A state of war basically existed between the two maras. [Although this movie didn't identify the new competitor as related to, or a branch of, another powerful Mexican gang, the 18th Street Mara, which, like MS-13, originated in California, I believe that that would be a reasonable surmise.] Stopping by a house where a matron was visible, he called for Benito. She began to verbally castigate El Caspar as a hoodum. When the lad came out, he appeared to be a young man of about 12 years old. El Caspar greeted him and gathered him up . He had a shock of black wavy hair and appeared to be stagecast material for the role of an altar boy. However, today would be the day that he lost his name and would become someone else. Today he would be initiated into Mara Salvatrucha. El Caspar would sponsor him, so to speak. Soon, they'd be calling each other "homie." As the day was early, El Caspar decided to stop by his girlfriend's house. Her name was Martha Marlen. She was a pretty young woman, who appeared to be 16 or 17 years old. El Caspar had purchased a small bunch of flowers along the way. Bidding Benito to wait outside, El Caspar slipped through a window. Martha Marlen was sleeping peacefully. Softly calling her name, he found her a little resistant to being awakened. Then he brought out his reenforcements in the form of the flowers, which he drew close to her face where their fragance would be better noted. She responded. She obliged her boyfriend romantically.

The camera cut to Benito. Apparently bored, he peeked into the window and got an eyeful. Later, after El Caspar had said good-bye to Martha Marlen, Benito asked him if she had a sister or girlfriend that looked like her for him. El Caspar laughed and advised him that first he'd have to worry about killing a chuvallo ( or some such), which was to say a member of the rival gang trying to muscle in on Mara Salvatrucha.

They entered the Mara compound, which appeared to be a rambling collection of rooms and attached sheds. There were graffiti signage of the Mara on most walls, as well as on all the members who were met and greeted by El Caspar. In turn El Caspar greeted El Scarface, El Peluquin, and El Smokey. All the Mara members looked curiously at Bernito, who stayed close to El Caspar. Soon, El Caspar stopped. He now was before Lil Mago, who was second in command. The latter was extensively tattooed both on body and face. He had been a sort of mentor to El Caspar, and he possibly had sponsored him into the Mara. Benito was introduced. Lil Mago would know that he wanted to be iniated and that El Caspar was his sponsor. The head of this Mara was El Sol. He, too, would be present. Lil Mago brought up a recent "search out and kill" mission in La Bombilla in Chiapas, where the Mara's rivals were thought to be. There were discrepancies between El Caspar's report and that of another Mara member who had been sent. Where did the truth lie? Lil Mago wondered outloud. Lying to the Mara was a capital offense. El Caspar remained cool and defended his report. Maybe the other hombre got it wrong, he suggested. Lil Mago wondered if El Caspar had even gone. These were very serious charges being "aired." Lying and insubordination toward the Mara was not tolerated. For the time there was no clear understanding of what happened, but El Caspar knew that he would be carefully watched from then on. He would be on an undeclared, probationary "watchlist." For reasons best known to her, Martha Marlen showed up at the compound gate, looking for El Caspar, who surely must have warned her not to go to the compound looking for him. El Caspar and Benito were being led outside to the front grounds of the compound, where Benito would be initiated. Suddenly, Lil Mago noticed Martha Marlen. He grinned to El Caspar that he now understood where he had been spending his time. He led her away to the back, where they were alone. There was nothing El Caspar could do. She resisted when it was evident what Lil Mago was going to do. He threw her to the ground, where she struck her head and died. They got rid of the body. When Lil Mago returned, he apologized to El Caspar. There was an accident. She fell and hit her head. She's no good now. As El Sol was present and ready to get on with the initiation, the signal was given to Benito's sponsor, El Caspar, to begin the ritual. In these Mara Salvatrucha initiations, a candidate is beaten for 13 seconds. El Caspar led Benito into a rough ring made by Mara members. El Sol began to count. With each number blows

would rain upon Benito. Finally, he fell to the ground. The count continued and members repeatedly kicked the candidate, who was trying to protect himself a bit while on the ground. Finally, the last number was sounded by El Sol and the last blows delivered. Benito had passed the test. He was now a Mara Salvatrucha member. Benito broke into a big smile, even though bloody-mouthed and battered. El Sol was impressed. He immediately dubbed Benito as "Smiley." The boy had been reborn now. He had a new name and a new family. This beating wasn't limited to Benito, as El Caspar also had to go through the 13 count for not fulfilling his mission at La Bombilla. About this time another set of characters was introduced. This was a Honduran family. One of its members, Horacio, had been in the United States illegally and had been recently deported. His second wife, Yessenia still lived in New Jersey with her children. He had two children by a first marriage that he wanted to take to America. They were Orlando and Sayra. The latter was not enthusiastic about going. She consulted with an old woman reputed to be a seer about this matter. She was advised that she would not enter America with the help of an angel but by the help of a devil. Little wonder, then, that Sayra viewed the matter with misgivings. However, Horacio was persistent and Orlando supported his father. Sayra agreed. Their trek overland to the nearest railroad track running north into Mexico allowed Horacio to drill into the heads of the siblings the telephone number of Yessenia in New Jersey. Knowing this number might prove crucial to their success. Eventually, they got to the tracks. There were lots of others camped near them awaiting a train. These people rode for free, as they rode illegally on the top of the train cars. They had to prepare for rain and other eventualities. A train might not prove to be suitable, as it wasn't going further.

Finally, they got aboard a train that moved northward. It would stop at La Bombilla in Chiapas, Mexico, along the way. Meanwhile, the newly initiated El Smiley, along with El Caspar, was brought before Lil Mago. The time had come for El Smiley to prove himself a true Mara warrior by killing an enemy. He was provided an improvised gun, basically a variety of "zip

gun." Because of doubts about his behavior during the mission to La Bombilla, El Caspar had been forced to return his handgun to the Mara. However, he went with El Smiley to kill the enemy, who was being held captive. Lil Mago read him the sentence to be meted out, but the man denied being a gang member. He pled that he had "quit all that gang stuff." Lil Mago replied that "once a chuvallo, always one." He then ordered El Smiley to kill the enemy. When the littlest Mara member had a little difficulty in operating the gun, El Caspar helped him. Together, they fired the bullet that killed the enemy. El Smiley had killed his first man. Perhaps he had just "made his bones." He could also get his first MS-13 tattoo. He opted for an inside-the-lip job. Lil Mago informed El Caspar that he would lead a little mission to La Bombilla, and he wanted El Caspar to be there. The mission appeared to be a combination of "search and kill" and plain, old robbery of migrants on the trains. When they got there, they found a train at rest temporaily. Perhaps due to rain, many of the migrants atop the train were huddled under protective canvas, etc., which they had brought along. Lil Mago climbed atop and began to uncover potential victims, demanding money. El Caspar was with him. Not far away was El Smiley. El Caspar didn't seem to have his heart into this work. Inwardly, he undoubtedly bore a grudge against Lil Mago for what he did to Martha Marlen. When Lil Mago uncovered Horacio, Orlando and Sayra, he demanded money. When they pled that they had none, Lil Mago directed El Caspar to put his machete to violent use. El Caspar raised his blade as if to strike one of the three migrants. Instead, he wacked Lil Mago's neck, killing him. El Smiley witnessed this. Knowing that he was now a man marked for death by all members of MS-13, wherever they might be, he stoically accepted "what it is," and continued riding on the top of the train with the others. All the other train-top riders knew that he was MS-13 and both feared him and wanted to get rid of him. He could only mean trouble. El Caspar picked a spot away from the others, held his machete at the ready on his lap, and tried to stay awake. At one point two others began to creep toward him with their own machetes. Sayra shouted "police" to try to abort the attack on the now-dozing El Caspar. He was roused and perceived the danger but did not counterattack. He let it drop. Later, she herself would edge nearer. She gave him her name and offered him a "wrapped & rolled" item of food, which he accepted and promptly began to eat. She asked him what his name was. He said nothing at first. Discouraged, she turned to go back where her family rested. As she did, he turned and said: "Willy." She smiled and continued back.

From this point forward the film depicted the drawing together romantically of Sayra and Willy. She was on his side. At this point he really needed that. He viewed the future no further than the day he lived in. There were too many blades drawn against him. Their trip was perilous. Along the way she lost both her father and brother. Mexican authorities of every stripe were opposed to the train-top riders. While some kids might throw them food, others would throw rocks and curse them. Nevertheless, they were drawing closer to America. Willy had promised to get her into America. Whether he would go there too, or remain to face his future as Hemingway's boxer did, was uncertain. As there was hope in the air, the moviegoer might guess that he would go with Sayra, even though MS-13 had spread into the East Coast. He knew he couldn't hide his tattoos.

After much excitement, Willy led Sayra to a Mexican who made a living taking illegals across the Rio Grande river. A deal was struck. Sayra was to go first. Large inner-tubes were employed to provide floating support. Sayra was asked to strip for reasons not perfectly clear to me. She started the trip wearing her underwear, basically a bikini, bearing another name. Neither apparently could swim. Willy stood guard as she journeyed across. Unfortunately, El Sol and Mara friends, including El Smiley, who felt that he had something to prove, since he had had nothing to do with Lil Mago's death, were fast converging on the river crossing. They had been "hot" on Willy's trail for some time. Now they had him pinned. He began to run, screaming at Sayra as he did to continue. "Go to New Jersey!" She was trying to return to the Mexican side and was considerably stressed.

As Willy reached a spot on the river that was not too wide, he seemed to be ready to risk it. Before he could, he encountered that mighty little Mara, El Smiley. Willy spoke his name. El Smiley said words to the effect that "the Mara forever, homie." Then he shot the man he had known as El Caspar. About this time El Sol and the others arrived. They each fired bullets into the body of Willy. From the distant shore Sayra realised that Willy was gone. She managed to make her way to a warehouse section of some town, find a telephone booth, and call the number that Horacio had pounded into her head. Did she remember the correct number? Did Yessenia answer the phone? Interested moviegoers may want to Netflix this movie to find out more. CONCLUSION: This movie provided viewers with a quasi-documentary of the migrant road from Honduras to South Texas. It also provided the viewer with a sense of life in a Mara in Central America. Either, alone, would have been interesting. Combining them with credible characters who were well-acted strengthened the experience. Weaving into it romantic interests, escape, chase, and mortal danger really elevated this movie into the top ranks of films to see. PRODUCTION KEYS: Gary Fukunaga - director, Adriano Goldman - cinematography, Marcelo Zarvos original music, Lynn Fainchtein - supervisor, music CAST: Edgar Flores - El Caspar/Willy, Paulino Gaitan - Sayra, Kristyan Ferrer - El Smiley/Benito, Luis Fernando Pena - El Sol, Tenoch Huerta Mejia - Lil Mago, Diana Garcia - Martha Marlen(e), Guillermo Villegas - Orlando, Gerardo Taraceno Horacio, Marco Antonio Aguerre - Big Lips, Gabino Rodriguez - El Scarface, Emir Meza - Peluquin, David Serrano - El Smokey January 29, 2010. EbonyStar.