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Amores Perros 2000 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
R, 154 min. (violence, gore, profanity, sexuality) |
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Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerrero, Vanessa Bauche, Jorge Salinas, Marco Pérez, Rodrigo Murray
Producer: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Screenplay: Guillermo Arriaga Jordan
Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto
Distributor: Lions Gate Films
Released: 4.13.01 (Limited)
(In Spanish with subtitles) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Amores Perros (Love's a Bitch), which has won several awards at film festivals since its opening last year, is a film in the mold of Tarantino's
Pulp Fiction - a story that weaves the lives of several people together in various parts of the film. As in the tradition
of Pulp Fiction, we follow three separate yet related stories that deal with the turmoils of the darker side of man's
character. Stunning performances are delivered by the majority of the cast, moving the film to the upper echelon of memorable
films, and director Alejandro Iñárritu has crafted a stylistically pleasing and emotionally draining film that will challenge the
average moviegoers' mind.
The first story involves Octavio (Gael García Bernal) and his sister-in-law Susana (Vanessa Bauche), who live together in a poor
Mexican home trying to make ends meet. While Susana's husband (Octavio's brother) is abusive and emotionally unstable,
Octavio is gracious and loving to Susana, who is realizing his growing feelings towards her. Octavio has a plan - make money
through dog fighting to fund his eventual escape from the inner city to a smaller town to start a new life, with Susana by his
side. Susana must make a choice between him and her husband. The second story involves Daniel (Álvaro Guerrero), a
successful publisher, and Valeria (Goya Toledo), a supermodel who has just hit the big-time. Daniel has decided to leave his
wife for Valeria, and they move into a grandiose apartment and live the life that the world would consider a success. Shortly
afterward, Valeria is seriously injured in a car accident (which consequently is the crossroads at which all three stories merge)
and loses the use of one of her legs, ruining her career. Now Daniel must come to terms with the fact his dream life is in
shambles. Finally, in the most gripping story we are presented with Chivo (Emilio Echevarría), a former family man who joined
a guerilla group only to discover their ultimate failure. Now he walks the streets, tortured with regrets over his lost family and
a daughter who will not see him. He takes odd jobs, including assassinations, to help keep his newfound dream alive.
The parallels with Pulp Fiction are obvious, except for the treatment of its criminals - while Tarantino portrayed them as
troubled but suave or "cool", Iñárritu treats them as abhorrent individuals not worthy of society's company. Both films use
similar techniques to drive the story forward, but Amores Perros ends on a much more somber note than Pulp Fiction. As with
most films, the preferred ending will reside with the viewer.
Another obvious underlying theme of the film has to do with dogs. In each of the stories, dogs play an important role to show
the similarities between man and, in our darkest moments, animals. At times it seems as if the film is more a commentary on
Iñárritu's love for dogs more than his love for humans. It's a troubling part of the film, but nonetheless effective for his
message to be clear - that man can be even worse than animals at times.
Admittedly, and with good reason, Amores Perros is dark, depressing, and at times, overbearing. But the film must
be this way in order to communicate its message. We are kind of "stuck" in the middle of struggling lives and their problems, and
there's not much solace in the face of the film's long running length (154 minutes). However, it also inspires as many of the
past great films have done. It's an enthralling, gripping film that grabs you and won't let go. This is how filmmaking is
supposed to be done - with purpose, with heart, and most of all, with clear determination to communicate to an audience its
message (whether that message be good or bad).
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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