CYNOPHILE. A person who loves canines.

Alejandro González Iñárritu is an award-winning Mexican director and producer that offers a taste of reality through his puzzle-like films and narratives. His debut film “Amores Perros” that came out in the year 2000 helped him be known to the international film industry. The film bagged awards at Chicago and Cannes film festival along with 10 Mexican Ariel awards, and it is an Oscar nominee for Best foreign-language film. 

The title roughly translates into “Love’s a Bitch” and it involves both dogs and human characters that shows a connection throughout the film. The film was divided into segments that focuses on three distinct relationships between characters and their dogs. 

WARNING: Stop reading if you don’t want to spoil

The film starts with an intense car chase that shows two young individuals along with a bloody mess in the backseat of the car. The one who’s bleeding in the car was Cofi, Octavio’s (Gael Garcia Bernal) dog that he used for dog fighting. This is the first segment, “Octavio and Susana,” (Vanessa Bauche) it shows a poor young man that is madly in love with his brother Ramiro’s (Marco Perez) wife. The chase started when Cofi killed an A-class dog and ended when the car that they’re riding crashed into another car. Luckily, someone saved the dying dog and took care of him.

“Daniel and Valeria,” revolves around the idea of sacrifice in order to get something that you want. In Daniel’s (Alvaro Guerrero) case, he gave up his family to stay with a model and actress (Goya Toledo) who owns Richie. Daniel rented a place that is close to Valeria’s poster to make her happy. Their relationship went from a lover’s dream into a chaotic mess. Valeria’s dog got lost when it went into the hole in the floor that later ignited a heated exchange between the two. Valeria’s career ended when she got into a car accident while heading out to grab some drinks.

The third and final segment, “El Chivo and Maru,” it is about the man who has been present from the two previous segments. El Chivo (Emilio Echevarria) is a homeless man that is also a hitman. He gets through the day by strolling around with his dogs along with his cart. His story revolves around a client who hired him to kill his brother. When he went into the city to kill his target, he witnessed the car accident and went to help Octavio that was stuck in the driver’s seat. Cofi caught his attention and he aided the dog who’s about to die.

The car chase at the very beginning exposed all the key characters of the film. Indeed, there’s love involved. The way their stories unfold through one’s emotional connection with another character shows how love can make or break a person. The plot showed a realistic yet coincidental interaction between the characters involved. There are a lot of connections between the characters but what stood out is their love. It showed how it influences individuals with their actions.

In terms of the technical aspect, there are a lot of good things that was shown in the movie. The cinematography is completely dynamic. It helped a lot in showing how the characters feel in a specific scene. It is free in its own way. Both the actors and actresses gave justice to their respective characters thus making the film even better. They portray actual emotions and it just looks great on the screen. Even the dogs are well trained and luckily, there are no animals harmed during the production. 

All in all, “Amores Perros,” is a trip that anyone would enjoy. It is a film that reflects the reality of life in Mexico City that explores the difference in social class. After watching the film, I understood why Alejandro González Iñárritu was acknowledged in the international film industry. Truly a magnificent debut film. Worth watching.

Rating: 9/10

Amores Perros Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5HTBYR7m0o