Los Olvidados (1950)

Mexico | 85 min | NR | 35mm | Dir. Luis Buñuel

In the slums of Mexico City, a gang of young children loiters in vacant lots. Escaping from a reformatory prison, the oldest boy Jaibo returns to lead the gang in acts of petty crime such as robbing a blind street musician and a legless man. Jaibo vows revenge against and later kills Julian, another boy whom he believes turned him in. Pedro, who associates with Jaibo and becomes witness to the murder, wants nothing more than to return home and live a normal life. His mother, however, shows little affection and ultimately rejects him. Wrongly accused of stealing a knife that was in fact taken by Jaibo, Pedro is sent to a reform school, where a sympathetic school director takes him under his wing.

"...a masterpiece of social surrealism and the founding work of third-world barrio horror. Los Olvidados is strong enough to make a hardened Communist cry or drive a (true) Christian to despair. The title is in part ironic: Once seen, this movie can never be forgotten." - J Hoberman (Village Voice)

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