60 years on, can Los Olvidados retain its power?
The dusty, crime ridden streets of Mexico City are no place for people to live.
They constrict and beat down any attempts to express empathy or better oneself.
Push too hard at the boundaries of your poverty and the leash will tighten.
If you refuse to back down, you die.
The filmexpresses this idea through the intertwining lives of various street children.
Imagine Fagin, but with every shred of compassion painstakingly removed.
He is a hateful character, fully embodying the depravity Bunuel preaches against.
Its a credit to Roberto Cobos flawless performance that we are drawn into his character so completely.
In a film that so clearly trumpets a message of social change, some connection to reality is paramount.
He also tosses in a trademark segment of surrealism.
Pedros slow motion dream sequence is a near masterpiece, that communicates the characters inner turmoil with arresting imagery.
The eyeless curmudgeon is an entertaining character, but his histrionics wear thin before too long.
There is little hope in Bunuels gritty account of the penniless in Mexico City.
The problems with the system are identified, but any lasting solution seems a long way off.
Sixty years after its original release,Los Olvidadosremains a punchy drama with real depth.
It contains a quick chunk of Bunuel biography that provides some very useful context for understanding the film.
Malcolms insight into the deeper messages ofLos Olvidadosand Bunuels place in the filmmaking tradition are equally as valuable.
Film:
Los Olvidadosis out now andavailable from the Den Of Geek Store.
Rating:
4 out of 5
