Luis Buñuel went to Mexico in 1946 after being exiled from Spain and spending some time in the United States. While there, Buñuel used Mexico and its booming film industry to rebuild his career. In fact, of the thirty-two films Buñuel created, twenty-one were during his time in Mexico. It is in Mexico that we see Buñuel’s work take a shift towards neorealism. Some basic aspects of neorealism include the use of non-professional actors, a purposeful focus on everyday life, a tendency to shoot on location (not on sets) and the rejection of happy endings. In class last Friday, we watched Luis Buñuel’s 1950 film Los Olvidados, and in this movie you see a combination of Buñuel’s original surrealist style and his exploration into neorealism. To start, Los Olvidados story is about a group of children from the slums of Mexico City, shot on location in an actual slum in New Mexico. The environment the children are in can safely be described as both realistic and brutal. The film features non-professional actors and, true to its genre, avoids a tone of sentimentality (perhaps to emphasize the harsh realities of poverty). The film is also a critique on the state of institutions. The surrealist element of the film is skillfully interlaced during the dream sequence of Pedro and his mother. The meaning of the dream is indiscernible, and intentionally left open for interpretation.

  Los Olvidados also touches on the themes of youth and reformism. In the movie, children are portrayed as victims of society as they are born into a system that has failed them. One character that stood out to me was Jaibo, who was the “bad guy” in the film. He is portrayed as a ruthless, survivor, who takes what he wants and kills when he has too. Throughout the film, Jaibo is the character with the least compassion. I think it is important to realize that Jaibo is a product of his society, and the majority of his delinquent behavior is learned. He, himself, is not inherently cold, but has been raised to believe the only way to survive is to be cold. Buñuel also critiques reform schools when Pedro is sent to one to rehabilitate his behavior. However, when Pedro tries to do the right thing and give back stolen money the school decides to punish him rather than support him. To me it seems as if Buñuel is trying to argue that institutionalized reform fails to address the root causes of poverty. It instead tends to blame the victims, and ultimately aid in the oppression.