The Forgotten

‘Jaibo, the loud-mouthed leader of a gang of youths who has just been released from prison, is seen by Pedro, a rather reserved young man, murdering a young worker. Jaibo lets Pedro go, but at a price (…). Luis Buñuel arrived in Mexico in 1947 and tried to gain a foothold in the local film industry. Los olvidados, filmed in the slums of Mexico City, depicts a society dominated by violence and cruelty in stark yet detached imagery. Buñuel was branded a ‘traitor’ in Mexico, but was honoured at Cannes in 1951.” (Filmpodium, Nov./Dec. 2010)

‘For me, Buñuel’s Mexican films are his true masterpieces (…). The first of these was Los olvidados – and for me it is one of the great coming-of-age films, if one can call it that. It’s a beautiful, deeply sad story. Without this film, there would be no Pixote, no City of God, no Over the Edge (…). It has this unique atmosphere that oscillates between neorealism and surrealism. All these beautiful dream sequences in slow motion appear out of nowhere. They are simply overwhelming.’ (Richard Linklater in conversation with Indiewire)