An unflinching and emotionally devastating vision of poverty and human depravation, Los Olvidados depicts the descent of a street urchin from petty delinquent to accomplice in murder under the unwanted tutelage of Jaibo, a member of his street gang recently released from detention. Made nearly twenty years after his early surreal masterpieces, Los Olvidados marked Buñuel’s return to filmmaking. Using hard-edged, neorealist observational techniques supplemented by Hollywood closeups and soft focus, Buñuel’s film is a bold and courageous cinematic experiment unique in the era for its strong social concerns.