LOS OLVIDADOS (1950)

Long before KIDS or CITY OF GOD there was LOS OLVIDADOS.

Set in the slums of Mexico City, LOS OLVIDADOS tells the story of a group a kids who have mostly been left to fend for themselves.  A few of them have parents but either their parents are non-functioning alcoholics, extremely poor or they just straight up don't care about their children at all.  Piles of garbage, (real onscreen) animal cruelty, dirt roads, filth, violence, implied sexual predator...the small world in which the residents of LOS OLVIDADOS live is a never-ending cycle of despair.

Our main character is Pedro, a young boy who's mother doesn't care if he ever comes home or not.  She doesn't even let him eat when he is there.  He spends the majority of his time hanging out with a rough group of boys.  Lead by the violent Jaibo, the group steals non-stop and entertain themselves by abusing handicap adults.  One day, Pedro witnesses Jailbo beating another kid to death.  This is the beginning of the end for Pedro.

Filled from beginning to end with negative images, LOS OLVIDADOS is a depressing film.  It's not as dark as more recent lost youth films, but for 1950 I imagine LOS OLVIDADOS was quite shocking.  When I first saw it decades ago I thought it was a masterpiece, but watching it again just now, it's definitely aged some.  It's still a wonderful film and required viewing for anybody serious about Cinema, but it's not quite good enough to make it into my Best Film category.  Hopefully one of these days we'll finally get a proper remastered release.

BELLE DE JOUR (1967)

I've never sat down and written out a Top 10 Best Movies list, but if I ever was to I'm pretty sure BELLE DE JOUR would be on that list.

Séverine (Catherine Deneuve) is the bored housewife of a young doctor.  She is unable to be intimate with her husband, whom she loves.  At the same time, she idles her days away dreaming about various sexual fantasies.  Most of them dealing with domination and sadomasochism.  Early on in the film there is a brief shot of an older man feeling up and kissing a terrified little girl.  Could this be Séverine as a child?   Either way, BELLE DE JOUR is a fascinating look at a woman exploring her sexuality, both mentally and physically.

After hearing from a lecherous friend of a friend about a small whorehouse that specializes in more upscale and private adult entertainment, Séverine cannot stop thinking about it and eventually goes to investigate for herself.  She's nervous, but the wise madam senses that Séverine is the type that needs a forceful hand, so she simply leaves her in a room with a regular customer.  Afterwards, Séverine is like a reborn woman.  She is much more cheerful around her husband and the more she explores her sexual desires at the brothel...the happier she is.  Things change, though, when a dangerous new customer falls in love with Séverine.

BELLE DE JOUR is Bunuel's first film in colour and it's a masterpiece.  The story, the camerawork, the surrealist elements, the acting, the fashions...every time I watch this film I'm enraptured and can't take my eyes off the screen.  Every shot is a masterpiece.  It also doesn't hurt that Deneuve was at her absolute most radiant during the late 1960's.

I cannot recommend this film enough.  Required viewing for anybody interested in world cinema.