Los Olvidados meets Amores perros in director Gerardo Tort’s kinetic portrait of the tough lives of Mexico City’s street kids. 15-year-old orphan Rufino (Luis Fernando Peña) survives doing odd jobs like hauling slabs of meat and drugs across the city. When he steals money from the corrupt cop who runs the neighbourhood, Rufino unleashes a maelstrom of violence. Making excellent use of a hand-held camera and jump-cut editing, this highly cinematic adaptation of the late Jesus Gonzalez Davila’s play sustains an in-your-face sense of immediacy. In a career-making performance, Peña portrays Rufino as old beyond his years but still innocent enough to pursue romantic ideals.