CarnivalAskew

For anyone in Sydney who appreciates all things Mexican, the first annual Hola Mexican Film Festival begins on the 21st of November, showcasing some of the best movies to have come out of Mexico in the last 50 years, in addition to offering free salsa lessons and other Mexican festivities.

“Los Olvidados: The Young and The Damned,” is one of the classic movies being screened at Hola this year. Originally made in the 1950’s but digitally remastered for screening, Olvidados won the Best Film at Cannes, and was recently considered by UNESCO as part of the World’s heritage. Set in Mexico City, Olvidados follows the lives of children caught in a cycle of poverty and crime. Despite being made almost 50 years before modern day crime classics such as Fernando Meirelles’ City of God or the Hughers Brothers’ Menace II Society, Olvidados shares many of the same themes of temptation, hopelessness, and vengeance. And, despite being made in a time before gratuitous sex and violence was the norm, Olivadados, especially in the final minutes, still manages to convey a startling brutality.

Fans of more modern international film may want to skip Olvidados and attend some of the other interesting offerings of Hola later this month, but anyone with a desire to see an engaging piece of Mexican film history would be wise not to give this one a miss.