Sin destino (2002) User Reviews

A Gritty Drama from an Innovative Mexican Director

[gradyharp · 6/10 · 9 March 2006]

Mexican writer/director Leopoldo Laborde has made a number of low budget, challenging, controversial films, using his cadre of nonprofessional actors and crew and he is gathering a following for his courage and his unique style. SIN DESTINO is a good introduction to his work - a film about the seamy side of Mexico City's life told with verismo style that at times is difficult to watch but yet one that succeeds in conveying his story well.

Using a combination of black and white with intervals of color photography, SIN DESTINO follows the life of a fifteen-year old Francisco/Frank (Francisco Rey) who has been a sex worker since his desperate introduction to the desires of older men when he was nine years old. He regularly engages in same sex activity for money to pay for a drug habit that is out of control. His friend and dealer is the understanding David (David Valdez) who 'loans' Frank money and coke when Frank is desperate, but also feels the need to get Frank out of the sex market by introducing him to women: David believes that once Frank has sex with a woman he will forego his street ways and have a chance at life. Frank happens to view a blonde girl Angelica (Mariana Gaja) and for the first time feels attraction to women. David sets Frank up with a kind-hearted prostitute Perla (Sylvia Vilchis) who offers Frank understanding and tenderness even though Frank is unable to perform. Frank has disturbing dreams and visions of his initial initiation into the male hustler life by an older child pornographer Sebastian (Roberto Cobo) and these intensely ugly memories are mixed with his delusions of sexual encounters with Angelica: these scenes appear in color and make a fine contrast in the 'magical realism' vein.

David encourages Frank to bed Angelica and sells him (through money he will retrieve from an incidental reunion with Sebastian) a love potion that will assure his sexual success with Angelica. Frank visits Sebastian after a six-year absence, obtains the money through violent means, and has his desired hook up with Angelica that results in a cruel tragedy that completes the film. David remains at Frank's side through the sequelae that follow and the film ends on a dark note that all but extinguishes Frank's hope for a favorable destiny.

Laborde knows what he wants and opts for a crude, rough, seemingly spontaneous non-rehearsed style of acting from his crew. He is able to draw from Francisco Rey an empathetic character, a lad who is stuck in the quagmire of the slim that faces the poor kids of the big city. Laborde is even able to make his 'evil johns' such as Sebastian more than simply dark caricatures. His cinematographer Jorge Rubio Casarín is at all times in sync with Laborde's vision, even though the camera use is inordinately distracting with its play of light and dark at times. It is only after the film is over that Laborde's use of the fate, death and love potion motifs from Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde' are appreciated, and that is an example of how much energy the writer/director has in his visions, a trait that suggests he may become a significant force in Mexican film-making. The film contains considerable violence, nudity, simulated sex scenes, drug use and harsh language, but one cannot imagine this story being told without those elements. In Spanish with English subtitles. Grady Harp

Interesting movie about a young hustler

[ninoguapo · 5/10 · 13 January 2007]

When I watched this movie few days ago I had to admit that it is one of the most original ways to address a difficult subject. The acting was fine – and trough I have read comments that the actors were not professionals I could hardly say that judging from their performance in the movie. A lot of sexual references are present in this movie as well as harsh language – but with the issues it addresses this couldn't have been avoided. The main character is a young street hustler in Mexico – and by the end of the movie you will not know if you should sympathy, pity or will simply hate him – even trough the question of whether he should be blamed for a single thing he does or not is not that simple to answer.

Pixote Lite

[NoDakTatum · 6/10 · 22 October 2023]

This Mexican film treads familiar ground as it shows us what a street kid will do to survive in the big bad city. Francisco (Francisco Rey) is a not-too-bright homeless teen who owes drug money to his best friend and dealer David (David Valdez). Francisco is quite the troubled young man, having nightmarish flashbacks to being nine years old, photographed, and assaulted by a creepy old man named Sebastian (Roberto Cobo). David tries to get Francisco to stop trading sex for drugs, and sets him up with prostitute Perla (Sylvia Vilchis). Francisco reluctantly sleeps with her, and freaks out. He is practicing for his ideal love, Angelica (Mariana Gaja). David decides to give Francisco a drug to make Angelica horny, and Francisco finds himself at Sebastian's mercy again, trying to raise money for the drug. This time around, Francisco's encounter with Sebastian is far more harrowing.

Despite a very good acting job by the cast, "Sin Destino" left me cold. The gritty, grimy, sleazy world of violent street youth has been done, from the classic "Pixote" to the heartbreaking "Streetwise" to the lousy "Havoc," with many other examples in between. Writer/director Laborde gave me no reason to care about the cast and their predicament. While it is sad that Francisco was snatched off the streets as a child, background about his character is lacking. I wanted to know how he got there, and what happened to his parents. What was David's story? The very unsatisfying ending added to my frustration. On the other hand, like "Pixote," the inexperienced cast, and the veteran Cobo, is brilliant. The film is shot in appropriately grainy black and white, with Francisco's dreams and hallucinations shot in appropriately grainy color. The film is low budget, looks low budget, and its authentic impoverished Mexican locations work. "Sin Destino" has the look and film festival pedigree of a work that should not be ignored. The problem is we are bombarded with the same message movies year after year, and this film brings nothing new to the table.

Gritty without a brain

[gregorija · 12 July 2005]

This was a good idea for a film. It's covers an issue that is indeed a problem in Mexico and elsewhere around the world; kids on there own in poor neighborhoods "forced" to resort to prostitution and drugs just to get food and survive. But as far as I could tell, this film didn't really say anything about how this happens or on a basic level, is there hope of a different way of life in which these kids could find some peace? It's a dismal film without much of a brain. It's the easiest thing in the world for a storyteller to say; "this is how it is" and nothing more. I'm not going to waste anymore time with this one...it's not worth it.

Great concept, appalling realisation

[pyx · 3/10 · 22 November 2007]

Child exploitation, prostitution, and pornography in Mexico may well make for interesting and laudable movie subjects, but the fact that the film dares to talk about them does not make it "gritty". In fact, the film verges on sensationalistic and voyeuristic, with a Larry Clark-esquire desire to show lots of young bare flesh and naked bodies.

The film was made on a shoestring budget, and it shows, most notably with the nerve jangling score, and sound effects, which actively intrude upon your appreciation of the action.

Sin Destino desperately wants to be a Mexican version of Pixote, which also covered the subject of street kids. It even goes so far as to use untrained "actors", as in both Pixote and Kids. However, director Leopoldo Laborde fails miserably to coax believable performances from Francisco Rey the lead; or even from Roberto Cobo, the one supposedly trained actor.

Francisco's range seems to extend no further than playground pushing and shoving, melodramatic snivelling, OTT angry abuse, and sullen silence. None are delivered with any subtlety or realism, and intrude on every scene in which he appears.

Partly for budgetary, and partly for artistic reasons, the majority of this film is shot in 16mm black and white, and even the colour scenes were only recorded on SVHS. This Blair Witch-style low cost filming is supposed to give the film a rawness that makes it seem more like a documentary, but the lighting and image quality are so bad that they detract from the story.

Leopoldo Laborde sounds sincere in his desire to bring a difficult subject to light, and although his script is very much by-the-numbers, lacking any meaningful exploration of the repercussions of such a life, it could have worked in far more competent directorial hands. As it is, Sin Destino stands as a testament to pre-film-school level direction, acting and script-writing.

When the director whines about the difficulty in getting his film distributed, he should look at the quality of his product, rather than blaming the world for being afraid to take on "these sort" of films.

Awesome film

[oakcliff-944-837480 · 10/10 · 7 January 2011]

Great film you can't closed your eyes through the whole movie. yes there's nudity, drugs, and a topic hard to explain to people which is child pornography but its a problem all over the world that the film suggest to acknowledge. the actors use of their eyes with the climax of the movie is fantastic weather is a sad scene or a happy scene. people should focus more on the message send of the movie than the budget or actors name display on it. yes the movie can have small flaws but they can be easily ignore due to the fact in which the movie will keep you in the edge of your sit wondering the cruel destiny of the protagonist.

a must watch for movie lovers like me.