Writer-director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation, No Time to Die) tells a gripping immigration story that could have been ripped from today’s headlines. Sayra (Paulina Gaitán) is a young girl traveling north with relatives on the top of a large locomotive known as La Bestia (The Beast) in search of a better life. Gang member El Casper (Edgar Flores), desperate to escape a notorious gang after killing a one of its members, befriends Sayra on the train headed toward Mexico. Their cross-country journey leads them to the U.S.-Mexico border, where their relationship is ultimately tested. Cinematographer Adriano Goldman garnered recognition at Sundance and the Independent Spirit Awards for his ability to capture a wide picturesque landscape of Latin America on this film. He later worked on Jane Eyre and Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep. Mexican actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna co-produced. — Jaime Mendez

Rated: R