This Mexican movie was surprisingly good. I confess the sin of prejudice concerning Mexican cinema, this being maybe the second Mexican film I have ever seen, but here my sins are punished. This is the work of a director of big talent. Hopefully, he will not be spoiled by the success.
Three different stories in today's Mexico mix with very few common elements. The characters belong to different social categories, and nothing connects them at first sight, excepting the feeling of un-happiness, and - yes - dogs. Dogs play an important role in all three stories. One more warning - there is a lot of cruelty including dog fights - this film is certainly not for sensitive animal lovers.
Directing is excellent, the stories are human and complex and despite their melodramatic or sometimes tragic outcome, they still leave you with a shade of hope - maybe because the humanity that the author uses to create his characters. There are so many memorable scenes, that I would commit another sin to pick any and describe it here - just rent, or go to watch this movie in the theater - it is worth all 150 or so minutes you will spend. 9/10 on my personal scale.
Plot summary
On the brink of the new Millennium in the bustling City of Mexico, one horrible car accident intertwines inextricably the lives of three perfect strangers. Octavio, a rebellious adolescent who is secretly in love with his sister-in-law, dreams of escaping his miserable life, and for this reason, he enters reluctantly the obscure world of dog fighting with his lethal dog Cofi. And then unexpectedly, Valeria, a stunning woman and famous supermodel, will cross paths with Octavio, while in the meantime, her pampered little dog Richie manages to vanish into thin air in the confined space of her apartment. Lastly, Chivo, an ex-guerrilla vagabond, after abandoning his little daughter, unable to make up for lost time, he channels his love to the city's strays and a mortally wounded Rottweiler. In the end, even though all the weary characters, men and beasts, wish for a bright future, in this life-changing journey in the pursuit of love, sometimes infidelity, sin and death can get in the way.
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On Men And Dogs
What a masterful feature film debut
Alejandro González Iñárritu's debut feature film 'Amores Perros' to me is one of the most remarkable film debuts there is in terms of direction and as an overall film. While he hasn't made a bad film (his weakest 'Babel' is still very good),even if some of his films are very divisive, 'Amores Perros' to me is his best.
It is a long film but don't let that put you off, 'Amores Perros' makes the most of the running time and rarely does it feel drawn out or overlong. The middle act is quite as good as the rest of the film, the pacing drags a bit but not enough to bring the film down too much. The first story is absorbing but even better is the magnificent last one. Even if they are purposely not likable the characters are compellingly real.
Visually, 'Amores Perros' is a very well made film. Very atmospherically lit, edited and designed. Not a fan of the hand held camera technique but it's very cleverly used here, with an intriguing documentary-like style, and is not abused. It's beautifully scored too.
Scripting is complex and absorbing, and the way 'Amores Perros', exploring love, desire, desperation and traumas, is told and constructed allows for many disturbing, shocking, suspenseful and moving moments. It's very thought-provoking too and has real immediacy, as well as hard-hitting emotional power, vast emotional range and is uniquely twisted. Iñárritu's direction is exemplary, even early on his style is well established.
Acting is very good, especially Emilio Echevarría.
Overall, a masterful feature film debut and a masterpiece in its own right. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Love the first section
This movie starts with a car chase ending in a horrific crash. The crash serves as a pivot for three interconnected stories. The first is Octavio (Gael García Bernal). He lives with his mother, his older brother, and sister-in-law Susana. He lusts for his brother's wife and wants to run away with her. A local hoodlum dog fights and one day, he sends his dog at Octavio's dog Cofi. It nearly kills the hoodlum's dog. Octavio takes Cofi into the world of dogfights to earn the money needed to escape with Susana. The second is the model Valeria who barely survives the car crash with a severely injured leg. The third is El Chivo who roams the streets with his cart. At his run-down home, he takes care of his pack of dogs. Then he's hired to track down a guy.
This is brought to us by director Alejandro González Iñárritu who would eventually direct other interconnected story lines movies such as Babel and 21 Grams. He's got a style and he's good at it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the first story with Gael García Bernal. It could be a great movie all by itself. It's gritty. It's compelling.
The second story starts slow. Then it takes a weird turn. I don't want to spoil it, but it builds into something poetic. It's quite a special little short story. The third story is probably the least compelling of the three. The dog part of story appeal to me the most. I'm not terribly interested in El Chivo, but it's a good enough to finish off the trifecta.