Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Year: 2000 Runtime: 154 minutes
Rating: Rated R for violence/gore, language and sexuality
Language: Spanish
IMDB rating: 8.2/10 Tomatometer: 92%
Amores Perros spans socio-economic classes with three loosely interconnected stories in Mexico City with a common theme of how love can hurt. Although the film’s title was marketed as “Love’s a Bitch” or “Love Dogs” in the English language, it is idiomatic expression in Spanish that roughly translates to “love that makes you suffer”.
The movie unfolds in three distinct parts with a chain of events in a non-linear Pulp Fiction-like fashion. Each story focuses on different facets of love with a different feel.
The first segment, “Octavio and Susana,” focuses on a struggling family living under one roof: a mother, two brothers, a wife and young baby. Octavio is hopelessly in love with his brother’s wife, Susana. As they struggle to survive, the brothers resort to illegal activities, one to fighting dogs in an underground betting culture and the other to robbing pharmacies and banks. The dynamics of the relationships are extremely fascinating and complex. It is action packed and fast paced.
The next part, “Daniel and Valeria,” switches gears and slows down the tempo. It deals with infidelity, psychological projections, pain, and beauty. Daniel is a wealthy advertising executive who abandons his family for a gorgeous model Valeria. When she gets involved in a horrible accident, the relationship changes.
Their dog becomes stuck underneath the floorboards of their new apartment and can be heard whimpering and struggling throughout. It is symbolic of the emotions in their relationship.
Even though this segment is definitely not in the horror genre, it has elements of suspense and psychological horror. At times it feels almost like a Alfred Hithcock or Pedro Almodovar film with a touch of Ingmar Bergman. Iñárritu does a masterful job of creating suspense and a certain suffocating and eerie feeling.
The last segment, “El Chivo and Maru,” serves to tie the movie together. It focuses on a homeless man “El Chivo,” who now kills for hire. He struggles with feelings of regret for abandoning his family. Previous decisions have changed him and now we see how he copes.
The film is filled with “what if” kinds of scenarios. It shows how the decisions you make have real impact on your life. The movie is rich with symbolism and metaphors. Dogs play an important role throughout the movie and reflect human emotions in the relationships.
Despite the long run time, the film is completely engaging. You are kept on the edge of your seat waiting to see what unfolds next. You become invested in the character development. Indeed, it is an extremely personal film. One thing I really love about Amores Perros is that even though it deals with situations that a lot of people would consider immoral, it never judges. It simply shows, leaving you to your own conclusions.
Amores Perros doesn’t offer as much insight into Latin American culture as other films. The themes are more universal and it could have easily have taken place in Los Angeles, London, or any other city.
If you liked Y Tu Mama Tambien, you’ll really enjoy this film. Gael García Bernal, the main actor from Y Tu Mama Tambien is also in this film, and again does a fantastic job. The director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, also directed 21 Grams and Babel so there are similarities with those films as well. Others also compare it to City of God, Traffic, and Magnolia.
All in all, it is an excellent film and I highly recommend it to everyone and particularly those learning Spanish. It also has a fantastic soundtrack. One caveat however, is that there is a lot of animal cruelty shown in the film. This is a turn off to some viewers. However, rest assured that no animals were harmed in the making of the film. So, go ahead and check it out!