This stunning first feature marks newcomer Cary Joji Fukunaga as an exciting new writer-director talent and continues the early promise shown by his awardwinning 2004 short Victoria para chino, about a group of illegal immigrants who perished on their journey to Texas. Displaying a natural mastery of his medium and a staggering attention to detail, especially in the violent gang scenes, Fukunaga is as comfortable working in intimate close up as he is directing the dazzling and intensely colourful desert vistas. Returning to the subject of his earlier short, Fukunaga focuses once again on a group of illegal immigrants – more specifically, their journey towards the US. Award-winning cinematographer Adriano Goldman is equally at ease in this desert domain, and deploys a vibrant palette and painterly approach to the broad, sweeping landscapes. Hypnotic scenes of huge crowds awaiting a freight train to take them to a new life are awe-inspiring, and the study of gang members in their cramped environment is truly enlightening. The talented cast of largely unknown actors brings genuine authenticity to a group of characters that are as colourful as the landscape in which they roam. Brutal gang leader Lil’ Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejia), with his tattooed face and his determination to uphold the cut-throat laws of his gang, is a fascinating study of macho pride and ruthless authority. Hoping to follow in his footsteps is the determined young upstart, Smiley (Kristyan Ferrer), who happily accepts the serious beating that forms part of his initiation into the gang. Smiley’s early aptitude for violence, and his deep desire to be accepted, hint at his part in the tragedy that is about to unfold. Similarly the journey – both emotional and geographical – of Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) and El Casper (Edgar Flores) is clearly signposted from the moment they meet. Yet despite their inevitable outcome, their story loses none of its impact, and these star-crossed lovers become central to a fascinating road movie that takes them through Guatemala and Mexico in the classic pursuit of the American dream.