The Young and the Damned

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Tony S Bunuel's masterpiece. Brutal but honest portrayal of poverty and the products of it. There is no Aladdin in these Mexico City slums. All of the characters have depth to them that prevent them from being just cliches you expect from such story. The poor blind man is not going to be a wise mentor, the mother isn't going to be a virtue of patience and compassion and the bad boy isn't going to do amoral and heinous things just because he just likes them. In the end of such story, there is nothing but despair. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/01/21 Full Review Audience Member Brutal portrayal of the lives of Mexican street kids. Like a non singing non dancing latter day Oliver Twist with more murder and predatory seedy adults involved. Not a heart warmer. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review William L It wouldn't be a Buñuel film unless someone maims an animal. Los Olvidados is one of the great depicitions of poverty in film - here as a despondent mire whose victims are taken in regardless of whether or not they are appropriately deserving. Some may find themselves fallen by chance, others as a result of some misdeed performed against them, others inevitably due to some vice, but all become trapped in an inescapable cycle where efforts to better ones position are met most often with failure. The most disturbing aspect that the film portrays is the common nature of mutual harm among those at the bottom; instead of recognizing opportunities, it is often jealousy or greed that motivates Buñuel's characters to act in ways that perpetuate the cycle of hate. The surrealist elements aren't necessarily as prevalent in Los Olvidados as in other films from the director, and it lacks some of his trademark off-kilter humor, but Buñuel still succeeds in creating an important piece of social criticism. (4.5/5) Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/21 Full Review Fra B The mechanisms of the story are easy to follow and not pretentious like those of other authors of that period, Buñuel was one of the first director to develop his own way of communication. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/25/20 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. This is an impressive Mexican film showing poverty and how it can lead to crime. A great story that keeps you captivated. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/11/23 Full Review Audience Member The greatest Mexican movie ever made. Even for today's audiences, it is gruesome and depressing. Nevertheless, it is a faithful portrait of a reality still existing today. But the whole movie is not as impressionistic as we might think, thanks to Buñuel's wonderful dream sequence. Pure surrealism and realism put together in the most effective, yet cruel way, in order to give us art. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Young and the Damned

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