Without a Name - Latino Representation in Fukunaga's Sin Nombre

Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject American Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: B+, University of Maryland University College at Adelphi, course: Latinos/as in U.S. Popular Culture, language: English, abstract: This paper discusses the film Sin Nombre (2009), directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, in relation to the portrayal of Latinos/as, and whether this film can be considered a piece of the 'Culture Industry.' For the analysis of the movie, I apply the concepts discussed in class. Also, I compare this motion picture with some of the themes which Elana Zilberg describes in her essay 'Fools Banished from the Kingdom: Remapping Geographies of Gang Violence between the Americas (Los Angeles and San Salvador)'. The plot of this 'fusion of a road movie, gangster epic[,] [w]estern and tragic romance' (Wood 1) is set in Latin America. It narrates the journey of Sayra, who is the main character and is played by Paulina Gaitán, going from Honduras to New Jersey. She travels with her uncle and father-the latter has been recently deported from the US. The purpose of the trip is to join their family in the U.S. where she hopes to be able to lead a better life.