Featured Audience Ratings

• Elvira B

  
  Los Olvidados. The literal translation of it is "The Forgotten". And yet the English title is The Young and the Damned. More attractive, yes, but definitely not very accurate. Being young and damned supposes challenges indeed, but never the void implied in being Forgotten.… More
  Los Olvidados. The literal translation of it is "The Forgotten". And yet the English title is The Young and the Damned. More attractive, yes, but definitely not very accurate. Being young and damned supposes challenges indeed, but never the void implied in being Forgotten. A gang of homeless children turn to robbery, vandalism and muder to survive in the slums of Mexico City. They act with a courage no one should have, with principles no one should have. They are menaces to each other and to themselves, and they terrorize their entire surroundings. Los Olvidados is incredibly realistic, it plays almost as a documentary, and it is supported by unbelievable performances by the children. The violence in the film is raw and mortifying, and, initially, it's shocking to see these kids beating crippled beggars on the streets, murdering each other, stealing, and especially speaking about society with real disdain and hate. It is not an optimistic movie as is stated in the beginning; no one here is going to find redemption because of some profound spiritual awakening -that precious time devoted to introspection is unknown to children who already have to use most of their time getting the bare necessities. The most terrifying thing about Los Olvidados is that the situation here protrayed is far from being corrected anywhere in South America. Throughout Los Olvidados, Bunuel shows us that their behavior isn't the children's fault. It isn't their parents fault... and so on, until there is no simple answer to the question, who to blame? As always, Bunuel questions the ideas we tend to repeat mecanically over and over again: poor children, their parents never took care of them, never taught them anything. Maybe it's true, but never, ever, that simple. With Bunuel, answers are never shallow. We also encounter the two sides of legal interference in the case of social issues like homeless children; for once, the State isn't evil, and we can see the decent intentions behind their social reinsertion program, even if it fails. Even though it's very long and its topic is unconfortable, Los Olvidados never bores. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, it manages not to exaggerate non-fiction to the borders of fantasy or incoherence, and creates an almost real life experience. Since it's Bunuel we're talking about it comes as no surprise that it would be filled with oniric symbollism and one dream sequence. Notice the hens- Bunuel said that to him hens represented the unknown, the dreamland. Los Olvidados works alone and in the context of Bunuel's catalogue because it shows that he actually knew how to make an excellent "conventional" movie, which so many people like to hold against him.

• Tsubaki S

  
  Brutal, people hated this one in Mexico when it was released. Truth hurts indeed.

• Stella D

  
  a searing indictment of poverty and document of the street life. pedro, ojitos and metche will break your heart. i won't soon forget this

• Pierluigi P

  
  Buñuel's masterpiece is also one of the most crude and heart-breaking stories ever told about children growing up on the slums of a corrupt, violent, blind and messy city. one of the most depressive documents ever produced.

• Megan S

  
  I had to watch this in a Spanish class in college. I don't really remember that much about it.

• Caesar M

  
  "Los Olvidados" is a 1950 Mexican film that goes largely unnoticed by the general public. You don't hear anyone talking about "Los Olvidados" in the same vein as "Bicycle Thieves", "The 400 Blows", and "Cidades de Dues" (City of… More
  "Los Olvidados" is a 1950 Mexican film that goes largely unnoticed by the general public. You don't hear anyone talking about "Los Olvidados" in the same vein as "Bicycle Thieves", "The 400 Blows", and "Cidades de Dues" (City of God) when too it comes to films depicting the hardship of poverty and a deconstruction of people living in these environment. Los Olvidados is about group of juvenile delinquents living a violent and crime-filled life in the festering slums of Mexico City, and the morals of young Pedro are gradually corrupted and destroyed by the others. Poverty is a subject matter that no ones feel comfortable seeing especially from the point of view of kids. The depiction of poverty stricken kids is not one that is easy to take in either. The kids we follow steal, murder, beat up a blind man, struggle to get by on a daily basis, have strained relationships with their parents, and friendships crumbling in an environment that forces them to take the wrong path in life. The film doesn't paint anyone in morality. Everyone here is a shade of grey with foreseeable consequences. We question the characters action, but at the same time the environment and people around them left them no other choice. The approach to its real life issues are handled realistically and with respect. One crucial scene has the head of a youth rehabilitation center questioning a mother parenting. Sparking a debate between the two if the kid should be blamed for his criminal action or his mother who regardless of providing for her family is abusive and cruel to her son. It's a thought provoking cinematic piece that feels too close to home striking a chord. Poverty is a problem that can't be erased nor it is it one we can ignore. These are the same reasons it is off putting for audiences. No one like seeing kids struggling to live or be killed, but are events that happened. Whether we choose to embrace a film that bring an unsettling subject matter to our attention is up to you. Los Olvidados (The Forgotten Ones) is a painful relevant look on poverty made all the more powerful from the point of the views of kids. It's not an easy film to view for no entertainment can out from it. It's a depressingly honest depiction of poverty and the effect it can have the human spirit. Historical Note: As told in Buñuel's autobiography "Mon Dernier Soupir" -- a mandatory book for all interested in artistic creativity: "Los Olvidados" only got made because Buñuel had had a financial success the previous year with his second Mexican film, "El Gran Calavera". As a preparation for "Olvidados" and wearing his worst clothes, Buñuel circulated for five months in slums and poor areas around Mexico City to get the right "feel" and language for the characters. When the film was released in Mexico, it was attacked by everyone as an insult to the country and its people -- and remained just 4 days in theaters. Buñuel was threatened and attacked ("an exiled Spaniard showing those filthy lies about Mexico!"). Only after the triumph in Cannes the film became internationally recognized as a masterpiece and went back to theaters in Mexico, winning the respect of critics and intellectuals, an array of awards and allowing Buñuel to continue his career there.

• Walter M

  
  [color=darkolivegreen]So, what is the fine line between suicidal and self-destructive behavior? The excllent, provocative new film from Germany, "Head-On" wants to have a few words on the subject. Basically, the movie starts out with Cahit(Birol Unel), a Turkish immigrant… More
  [color=darkolivegreen]So, what is the fine line between suicidal and self-destructive behavior? The excllent, provocative new film from Germany, "Head-On" wants to have a few words on the subject. Basically, the movie starts out with Cahit(Birol Unel), a Turkish immigrant who collects empties at a night club, having a wild night out on the town, followed by driving his car straight into a wall. Since there were no skid marks, the doctors surmised that he was trying to kill himself and confine him to a mental hospital. There, a young woman Sibel(Sibel Kikelli) overhears his surname and like her he is of Turkish descent and immediately goes over to him and proposes marriage.(Which breaks the land speed record in this category and also would provide a perfectly good story for any grandchildren as to how their grandparents met.) All he is interested in is alcohol; she is interested in living a new life away from her restrictive parents and having lots of wanton sex and could use a husband to provide a cover. Cahit and Sibel would be nothing more than roommates. Such is the place where lousy sitcoms are born but "Head-On" excels by not going for easy laughs and not seeking to take a sentimental view of these difficult characters. The film is occasionally interrupted by a real live Turkish chorus. The last image in the film is of them taking a bow. It is well deserved.[/color] [color=#556b2f][/color] [color=darkorange]Nearly all of the Luis Bunuel films I have seen until now have been from his later period(60's to 70's) where he is specializing in surreal imagery like Belle du Jour, That Obscure Object of Desire, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Milky Way. I had read about some of the films he had made in Mexico but Los Olividados(1950) is the first of them that I have seen. Basically, it is about a group of street urchins in Mexico City(even though the film makes it clear it could take place anywhere). Jaibo, a charismatic sociopath, has just escaped from a reform school. Some of the impact of this film has dulled over the years but it is still a very good movie about the impact of poverty on a younger generation and that kindness can somtimes only be handed out by those who can afford to. Oh and Bunuel, still manages to get a couple of vivid dream sequences into the film.[/color] [color=#ff8c00][/color] [color=indigo]"Monsieur N." starts out with the exhuming of Napoleon Bonaparte's remains on St. Helena in 1840, 19 years after his death.(Perhaps, they were just checking to see if he was still dead.) The movie flashes back to Napoleon's final imprisonment on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. "Monsieur N." wants to speculate on possible conspiracies as to the causes of Napoleon's death but it is not interesting or imaginative enough to succeed on that point. It does retain some interest as to the relationship of the imprisonment of the former emperor who perhaps never considered himself to be a prisoner versus the English who most certainly did. There is a distraction concerning what can only be called a schoolboy crush. It is a shame that "Monsieur N" does not really come alive until its conclusion because I think it could have been quite a bit better.[/color]

• Ivan D

  
  Years before his satirical digs towards the bourgeoisie crowd with masterful films like "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and "The Phantom of Liberty", Luis Buñuel was already out there stressing a significant point or two. And in "Los… More
  Years before his satirical digs towards the bourgeoisie crowd with masterful films like "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and "The Phantom of Liberty", Luis Buñuel was already out there stressing a significant point or two. And in "Los Olvidados'" case, it is the tragedy of children forced into the life of crime not because they want to but because there really is no other option; that and maybe some lack of guidance and parental warmth. Can you really blame a petty crime solely on the small hands that have done it? With a visual preference that is geared more towards neorealism, this film specifically highlights Luis Buñuel's humbler days as a filmmaker both in imagery and themes. But being the audacious auteur that he always was, he has successfully combined the grittiness of social realism with the visual profundity of surrealism. What resulted was a brave, candid and ultimately gut-churning film that emphasizes the sheer decay of youth life in post-war Mexico that's as potent to this day as it was when it was released more than 60 years ago. Youth angst, as we all know, is a favorite topic amongst filmmakers. Be it in the context of formal education, societal disconnection or simple case of immature alienation, directors have wallowed in them, sometimes to pretentious extent. But only a few films have really embraced the topic of adolescence with an intention to expose something alarmingly rancid and truthful. One of them is "Los Olvidados". Years before "City of God" has rocked the film world with its fearless portrait of youth criminality in the titular Rio de Janeiro neighborhood, "Los Olvidados" has already left a mark in the world of cinema with its intense depiction of spontaneous criminality committed by the most fragile of bodies and the youngest of minds. In every country's underbelly, there are criminals who will steal and kill for money. Luis Buñuel has highlighted the sad fact that among those low-lives are young ones who doesn't even know what's left from right, right from wrong. The truth hurts indeed. Generally about the reality of youth criminality, "Los Olvidados" is focused on three facets, represented by three unforgettable characters: El Jaibo (Roberto Cobo) the full-fledged criminal, young Pedro (Alfonso Mejia) the conflicted one, and Ojitos (Mario Ramirez), the kindred boy who got dragged in the middle of it all. With these characters, Buñuel was able to explore the extent of their reality by mixing both hope and despair. Hope that one of them may ultimately choose to escape and lead a better life, and despair that maybe all of them are, after all, futilely treading a path towards a moral cul-de-sac. And between those, there were Buñuel's chickens. All throughout the film and even in one of the characters' dream, chickens were ever-present. How do these feathery animals really figure in on the film's whole thematic plateau? "Look into the eyes of a chicken and you will see real stupidity," the great Werner Herzog has stated. Though that is too derogatory a remark, I think that it speaks well for what Buñuel's chickens may ultimately signify in this film. With that blunt statement about chickens, maybe what Herzog mistakes as idiocy, Buñuel sees as naivety. Perhaps it's not stupidity that they represent but innocence. And in every chickens smashed into smithereens (as in the film), it is innocence lost. Maybe that also applies quite well with the notorious chicken sex scene in "Pink Flamingos". Back in 1950 when the Mexican government was eager for its citizens to see, feel and sense progress even when it means suppressing truth itself, "Los Olvidados" is incredibly audacious, what with its decrepit portrayal of urban squalor and looming sense of hopelessness. But this, I think, is also an urgent film of terrible necessity because it shows something painfully real. "Los Olvidados", with its timeless statement about impoverished youth life, is one of those truly powerful cinematic creations that constantly remind us that not all children are for the good old sing and dance.

• Patrick D

  
  Really incredible. This film has a strange naturalistic way of showing children in poverty and being exploited, as well a surrealism that goes along with it. But what would you expect from Bunuel. It really gets you from the very beginning. And wins for strangest scene presented… More
  Really incredible. This film has a strange naturalistic way of showing children in poverty and being exploited, as well a surrealism that goes along with it. But what would you expect from Bunuel. It really gets you from the very beginning. And wins for strangest scene presented nonchalantly, when Pedro picks up a chick from under a chicken, pets it and fawns over, but then hurls it at a rooster who appears and seems to annoy him...

• Dimitris S

  
  Aggressive,iconic,mesmerizing in every frame.Bunuel's depiction of the grim social life of a bunch of street smarts and other lost souls is hallucinating.A staggering finale for a maleficent future prediction.

• Christopher B

  
  Amazing and brutal Bunuel film. Really great and I'm certain it was very influencial. Highly recommended.

Read all 11 featured audience ratings