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Amores perros Movie Review

Amores perros is a 2000 Mexican anthology crime film directed by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu. It is one of the best Mexican films I’ve seen.

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“At the time, I thought there were more important things

than being with you and your mom.

I wanted to set the world right,

and then share it with you.

I failed, as you can see“

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The film serves as an anthology movie, in particular a triptych. And I love these kinds of movies which are all too rare these days, but here the director executed it to the fullest degree. The three stories are beautifully intertwined, and they all make an impact, and eventually serve as a microcosm connected into a bigger car accident.

The first story follows delinquents who fight for supremacy in the slums by using dogs in dog fighting. This was absolutely horrible to witness. There isn’t a worse crime when it comes to dogs than dog fighting. Although it was way too graphic for my personal taste, it was still needed to be portrayed to let the audience realize that this is really happening in some corners of the globe.

Gael Garcia Bernal is so good in his role and very well cast. I found his character unlikable, but the others were simply horrible human beings. And this is the slums we’re talking about so it’s very realistic how they were portrayed.

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As for the second story, it’s probably the least tragic, but still pretty good overall. Following a model lose her leg was definitely tragic, but the highlight was their dog being stuck beneath the floors in a hole. I found that storyline somewhat implausible as I could not realize how the dog could not get out himself, but still it led to a very intense drama, and also the conflict that arose with the couple was excellent and very realistic. The movie gets how stressful situations can really ruin a romantic relationship. Again, the acting is terrific here.

The third story ended up being the best one. It follows this older vagrant who appeared in both stories at certain moments, but here he get his own segment, and it was glorious. I loved his backstory, his complex past and his emotional conclusion too. But the highlights are again the dogs. In particular that one brutal scene that really got me.

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So he takes the wounded dog from the first story and brings him to his place where he lives with a dozen mongrel dogs. Eventually, because the dog was trained to fight, he kills all the other dogs there in that truly horrific sequence which somewhat traumatized me. But it ends with the man sparing the dog as he doesn’t know better, and that entire sequence ended up being the emotional highlight of the entire film, and the most memorable scene too.

Amores perros truly is a quintessential movie when it comes to the plight of dogs. Yes, the movie truly angered me with those graphic depictions of animal abuse, but the fact that it got such an extreme emotion from me is ultimately a good thing as the movie is surely on the right side here. By being so brutal, it becomes so tragic. It also becomes important as this needs to be seen to be believed.

The movie so truthfully portrays the dogs’ ultimate loyalty and sacrifice for their owners and that is so well contrasted with the human characters’ selfishness, utter lack of empathy and disloyalty. It also shows how some situations can really be life-altering for everyone involved.

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The film is stupendously shot, albeit some of the shots are too shaky and brisk. The score is also fine, and the dialogue is realistic. It is thematically rich, and emotionally extremely powerful. It’s memorable throughout, and it remains Inarritu’s magnum opus for sure.

Horrible to witness and absolutely tragic in equal measure, Amores perros leaves a lasting impact. Its graphic brutality was too shocking to me as a big dog lover, but still it ended up being a quintessential film about the plight of dogs that is technically terrific, superbly directed and extremely well crafted in terms of storytelling. It is so well interconnected in its triptych structure that it ended up being a very involving and rewarding cinematic experience. It is also filled with many instantly unforgettable sequences with my favorite segment being the last powerful chapter. It is undoubtedly the magnum opus of Inarritu’s filmography.

My Rating – 4.5