Watch Los Olvidados (1950)

 

Watch Los Olvidados (1950)
Mexican Film, Crime, Drama, Teen
English title: The Young and the Damned

Cannes Film Festival, 1951 & 2019- Winner: Best Director (1951), Official Selection (2019)
Berlin International Film Festival, 2008- Official Selection
BFI London Film Festival, 2019- Official Selection
BAFTA Awards, 1953- Nominee: Best Film from any Source, Nominee: UN Award
Locarno International Film Festival, 1960, 1967, 1982
One of the greatest and most influential films of all time

Luis Buñuel's 1950 film, Los Olvidados (The Forgotten Ones), stands as a brutal, yet profoundly poetic, indictment of poverty and juvenile delinquency in post-revolutionary Mexico City. Far from being a romanticized view of childhood hardship, Buñuel delivered a searing, neorealist-influenced drama that exposed the cyclical nature of violence and despair plaguing the marginalized youth. It remains one of the director's most celebrated and controversial works, blending social realism with the audacious surrealist touches that were his trademark. More on Wikipedia or Mubi

Los Olvidados focuses on a gang of street children, primarily Jaibo and Pedro. Jaibo, an escaped reformatory inmate, is the older, cynical, and ultimately destructive force, manipulating the more innocent, conflicted Pedro. Their lives are a grim struggle for survival, marked by petty crime, abuse, and an almost complete absence of effective social support. The film’s narrative follows Pedro’s faltering attempts at reform, constantly thwarted by Jaibo’s influence, his mother’s neglect, and the pervasive societal indifference. >>>WATCH  TRAILER<<<

Surrealism Meets Social Realism

While the film is rooted firmly in the documentary-like aesthetic of Italian Neorealism, Buñuel masterfully injects unsettling, dream-like sequences that elevate the material beyond mere social commentary. The most famous example is Pedro’s fever dream, which features his mother offering him a piece of raw meat before it dissolves into a viscous substance, a potent Freudian symbol of his fractured need for maternal sustenance. This deliberate use of surrealism functions not as an escape from reality, but as a deeper exploration of the characters' psychological turmoil and subconscious anxieties, revealing the interior landscape of the "forgotten ones."

Controversy and Legacy

Upon its initial premiere in Mexico, the film sparked outrage. Critics and audiences were shocked by its raw depiction of the nation’s underbelly, viewing it as a slanderous portrait of Mexico. The backlash was severe, almost resulting in the film's withdrawal. However, its presentation at the 1951 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Director, brought it international acclaim and validated Buñuel's unflinching vision. Octavio Paz, the acclaimed Mexican poet and essayist, was among its most vocal defenders, recognizing its artistic merit and brutal honesty.

The film's impact is enduring. It is a powerful example of cinema used as a tool for social critique, demonstrating that poverty is not a moral failing but a systemic tragedy. The film's final, devastating scene, where Pedro’s body is unceremoniously dumped down a hillside, underscored the chilling finality of his fate—a forgotten life disposed of, perfectly embodying the film's title and its enduring message about the devastating cost of human neglect. Los Olvidados cemented Buñuel's reputation as a cinematic provocateur and remains a landmark work of Latin American cinema.

The Good (Strengths and Praises)

The film is praised for several powerful qualities that cemented its place in film history:

• Unflinching Social Realism and Honesty: Buñuel's greatest achievement was his refusal to sentimentalize or romanticize poverty and juvenile delinquency. The film is based on real-life research and court documents, presenting a brutally honest depiction of the cycle of crime, neglect, and despair among marginalized youth in Mexico City's slums. It was a powerful act of social critique, exposing the failure of the government and society to protect its most vulnerable.

• Masterful Blend of Styles: The film successfully merges Italian Neorealism (outdoor locations, use of non-professional actors, documentary feel) with Buñuel's signature Surrealism. The famous, unsettling dream sequence, the "fourth wall" break (an egg thrown at the camera), and the symbolic use of animals inject a deeper, psychological dimension that elevates the work beyond simple social commentary, exploring the characters' subconscious turmoil.

• Anti-Melodramatic Approach: Buñuel actively avoided the clichés and sentimentality of traditional Mexican melodrama. He portrays characters, like the blind man Don Carmelo, with complex moral ambiguity—no one is purely good, and even the victims are shown to be capable of cruelty, lending the film a powerful, difficult authenticity.

• Technical and Directional Brilliance: Buñuel’s direction is lean, impactful, and powerful. The pacing is tight, and the visuals are stark and memorable. His work earned him the Best Director award at the 1951 Cannes Film Festival, validating the film's artistic merit internationally.

  The Bad (Criticism and Controversies)

  The film's "bad" points are closely tied to its radical nature and the uncomfortable truths it exposed:

• Initial National Outrage (The Anti-Mexican Accusation): Upon its Mexican premiere, the film faced severe backlash. The press and conservative audiences accused Buñuel of being anti-Mexican and presenting a slanderous, degrading, and unfair portrait of the nation's capital and its people. This nationalistic reaction led to the film being pulled from theaters after only a few days.

• Bleakness and Pessimism: The film is notoriously bleak and offers virtually no hope or neat resolutions. The inescapable, tragic fate of its young protagonist, Pedro, was criticized as being overly pessimistic and too difficult for audiences to confront. Buñuel’s refusal to provide a conventional happy ending (an alternate, artificially optimistic ending was filmed by the producer but ultimately rejected) made the viewing experience profoundly disturbing.

• Aestheticization of Poverty (Philosophical Critique): Some academic critics have argued that despite Buñuel's intentions, by meticulously staging and filming destitution for an international audience, he inadvertently risked aestheticizing poverty, transforming real-life suffering into an artistic spectacle for the detached, comfortable viewer.

Ultimately, the film’s "bad" traits—its initial controversy and brutal bleakness—are the very things that have cemented its reputation as a revolutionary and artistically vital work.
Full Film (English subtitles)