The best films of 2009

[oscar jubis]

You're welcome. I consulted your list and learned that Sin Nombre is your favorite film of the year. I didn't like it as much as the 30 films I listed but, as you can see, I do appreciate it enough to want to watch it again. As an immigrant from Latin America, I obviously think that the film deals with important issues. Here's what I posted about it as a follow-up to CK's review:

"Sin Nombre gets a lot of mileage out of the work of cinematographer Adriano Goldman (City of Men), art director Carlos Benassini (Apocalypto's set designer) and production designer Claudio Contreras (El Violin, Wonderful World). The extremely winning performances by Flores and Gaitan in the leading roles, and the commanding presence of the badass Tenoch Huerta Mejia, are huge assets. I would gladly watch it again if it comes back to a theater near me.

I agree with the Dargis line you quote in your review. There something "sincere" about this effort that keeps it from becoming nearly as exploitative as the "violence porn" of City of God. The script's focus on the romance between Willy and Sayra in the second half is welcome, especially after a couple of over-the-top, violent scenes during the first half of the film. Something else I like about the film is its extreme economy. It shows a lot and covers a lot of dramatic material for a 96-minute movie."