Amores Perros (2000) movie review

Amores Perros movie review - The film, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is a gritty drama about three different lives which are unknowingly connected together by a car crash. The literal English translation of Amores Perros means ‘love is a bitch’, and the plot of Amores Perros revolves around people who are in pursuit of love but constantly held back either by their pasts, regrets, fate or something as fundamental as money. Here are reasons why you must watch or buy Amores Perros.

Director of Amores Perros: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Cast of Amores Perros: Gael Garcia Bernal, Emilio Echevarria and Goya Toledo

Language: Spanish

Genre: Drama and Thriller

Awards: BAFTA Award - Best film in foreign language, ALMA Awards – Outstanding Foreign Film, Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards – Best Foreign Film, and many other awards.

Amores Perros movie trivia: The car crash sequence in Amores Perros was shot with nine strategically placed cameras.

Amores Perros, the directorial debut by one of the world’s most acclaimed film maker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is a hard-hitting movie that trails through the streets of Mexico city. From the mean dingy corners where gangsters play and clinch their deals to the up-beat posh areas where the rich and the elite mingle, Amores Perros is a story that seeks to narrate the lives of people who are caught up in these two contrasting lifestyles and are yet connected together in strange ways.

1. Character development in Amores Perros

Each character in Amores Perros has been fleshed out profoundly by the film-makers. All the characters based on their stories have been given enough space, time and dialogues to develop emotionally. The movie Amores Perros starts with an accident and eventually the viewer will realize that it is during this accident that all the three characters are found in one location. The crash is caused by Octavio and the crash scene introduces the viewer to other characters, Valerie, a world class model who loses her leg due to this accident; and Chivo, a grisly looking homeless man, who witnesses this accident. It is important to mention that only the viewer is aware about the common point of intersection which weaves all the three stories together and not the characters in the movie. The film delves into these three characters and seeks to unravel their life stories. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has definitely done a brilliant job in introducing and developing the characters in Amores Perros.

2. Gael Garcia Bernal as Octavio in Amores Perros

Amores Perros marks the debut of the internationally acclaimed Mexican actor, Gael Garcia Bernal. His role in the first story of the film as Octavio, a young working class boy who starts dabbling with gangsters to earn money and run away with his sister in law is portrayed by Bernal in a brutally honest way. The violence in the film is unflinchingly real and Bernal’s acting perfectly sinks into this atmosphere.

3. Innovative story telling style of Amores Perros

The plot of Amores Perros unfolds in a non-linear manner and the characters from different stories often unknowingly bump into each other. The interweaving of these three narratives has been executed beautifully and it helps the film in exploring the common theme of love, death and survival which percolates through all the three stories. Dogs too play a central role in knitting these different stories of the movie together. All the lead characters in their struggles fail to find love or compassion in their relationships with humans and instead it is only through their bond with dogs that these feelings are expressed. This theme also very subtly puts a spin on the name of the movie itself.

4. An intelligent thriller

Amores Perros is marred with gut wrenching portrayal of violence which guarantees an excellent no nonsense thriller. Although the time line in the movie constantly intertwines the past and the present, the viewer is definitely not left confused. The style of the movie keeps the viewer in suspense and the thrill of anticipating the next development in the story keeps the viewer passionately engaged with the film. If there was a movie list which was be labeled as Intelligent Thrillers, Amores Perros has to top that list.

5. The intense nature of Amores Perros

Sorry to burst the bubble, but Amores Perros is not a film that can be enjoyed over a tub of popcorn. The movie is intense and literally pulls the viewer in to feel the pain and emotional anguish of the characters. There may be times in the movie when the viewer may be frustrated while watching two dogs fight in the gangster managed dog fights scene. This can be a heart break especially for an animal lover.

Roger Ebert’s Amores Perros review

"The work of a born film maker"

Source: Rotten Tomatoes