Los olvidados. Luis Buñuel. 1950. ⚄
I didn’t know that Buñuel made straight-up sappy movies like this. This feels like it could have been any Italian neorealist movie of its time. Only set in Mexico.
Los Olvidados was largely disparaged by the Mexican press upon its release.
It’s a very picaresque look at the city.
[time passes]
OK, I typed too soon: There are some very Buñuel-ey scenes in here. Mostly dreams, but others, too.
Yeah, I can totally see why people wouldn’t like this movie. It a lot harsher than any of the other realist movies at the time (especially with all the sexual abuse).
It is frustrating that the older eeeevil guy constantly fucks up the lives of the others. At the end he seems like a malevolent omniscient force, and while it makes for great drama, it’s just so AAARGH
It’s relentless and possibly the most depressing movie ever.
I gotta buy more fruits and stuff for my leftover cocktail series. The Difford’s Fruit Cup No.13 should have apples and oranges and stuff.
But it’s still pretty good without those. With the fruits I think it’d have been a knockout.
This blog post is part of the Officially The Best series.