Absolutely fantastic film about the human condition, and the more negative aspects which may, if given the slightest opportunity, take over our lives. Three interlocking tales explore this theme, with the depth and subtlty you'd expect from Inarritu. The cinematography is stunning, and the narrative split so as to build to a crescendo, much as with the more recent 21 Grams, although told in a more linear manner. The score (by the always brilliant Santaolalla) perfectly underscores the descent in to darkness.
artistic, touching, one of the few movies that made me shed a tear...this is a movie that you must be serious when watching, don't pause for dinner or a walk, just take it all in
Very good cinematic storytelling focusing on a few peoples stories and how they affect each other. In the top 5 of the non English speaking movie's I have seen.
'Amores Perros' is a fabulous piece of storytelling. Using a spectacular, jarring car crash as his centrepiece the director skilfully weaves three stories about the lives and loves of it's three victims over a background of modern day Mexico. With a title that translates as 'Love's A Bitch', the focus is on the trials and tribulations said emotion can produce. The result is totally absorbing cinema. Extremely well directed given the acutely difficult premise and featuring several stand-out performances, 'Amores Perros' is top-notch in every way, from it's explosive start to its thoughtful denouement. A must-see.
Brutal and touching at the same time. I liked the old man's story the best. The way the stories are intertwined is great and it's a shame every movie after this was more noticed. (a la sucky Crash)
Alejandro G. Inarritu nos muestra una historia con crudeza y no una cruda realidad como el cine mexicano por lo general pretende. Es una historia que puede o no ser real, pero que es paralela a la realidad y eso la hace mas desgarradora. Es una historia fantastica contada de una manera no tan fantastica por lo tanto vulgar. Es como si recitaran una poesia sin puntos ni pausas pero con el viceral tono vocal que el contenido (sentimental, moral, bello, etc...que se yo) demanda. A.G.I. es el unico que ha sabido plasmar esa credibilidad en sus historias porque sabe las consecuencias y los actos de las personas y en base a eso crea nuevos actos y consecuencias haciendo una historia irreal en algo creible, y es alli donde se aparta del monton, al igual que DelToro o Cuaron. AmoresPerros no es la cruda realidad mexicana sino la cruda realidad del mundo, del sentimiento y comportamiento universal vista con los ojos de Mexico. Desgarradora, intensa, pasional, a la altura de Los Olvidados, con escenas, actuaciones y frases memorables, y al final te hace pausar y pensar para digerir lo aprendido, todo lo que una buena peli debe tener. Sin duda una clasica!
The titillating sense of out-of-controlness provoked by the camera is echoed in the film's narrative situations, and you simply, and deliciously, haven't a clue as to what he's going to throw at you next. A film of tremendous complexity and depth, a galvanic force that sends the mind reeling.
Iñárritu know how to make an entrance. Jaw dropping movie that presented Gael García Bernal to the world. Intense vivid movie in which you can almost smell the daily life of Mexico City.
On the surface, Amores Perros seems like it could be faulted by gimmicks and the Tarantino-envy that many directors strive for. However, it's more than that... in fact, it has more to offer then just about anything you've ever seen. Eat your heart out, Tarantino... I love Babel and 21 Grams dearly, but this is absolutely Inarritu's masterpiece.
Amores Perros tells it's story through three relationships. These characters are all related and they live in the same city, although they don't know each other. The first story is between Octavio, played by the fantastic Gael Garcia Bernal, and Susana. Octavio wishes to make enough money to run away with Susana... away from her abusive husband, his brother. How does he make the money? Illegal dog fighting. How glamorous. Although there's no story in the film that's lacking by any means, this one stood out to me. The characters were all so rich in complexities and multi-faceted... we see seemingly "good" people on the surface depicted more and more flawed as the story continues, and vice versa. There's not a character in the movie that's sympathetic in any way, although we strangely like them and root for them at the same time... it's such an interesting thing.
The second story revolves around Daniel and Valeria. Valeria is a successful model and has recently got a big break... however, shortly after Daniel leaves his family and children to live with her, she's involved in an accident and is confined to a wheelchair. The relationship crumbles from here, sparked by a dog who has crawled underneath the floorboards after a ball. As the character suffer, the dog whimpers, which is straight out of Poe... and even more frustrating, the more and more they tear at the floor, the more hopeless the search becomes. And even more cruel is the smiling face of Valeria peering into the window from a giant billboard across the street; highlighting her long, beautiful legs.
The last story is about Chivo, a wandering man making his living as a hitman. Shortly after he nurses a dog back to help, a series of unexpected events sends his world crashing down. He kidnaps the guy he's supposed to have killed and taunts him with threats of death. This is another interesting and unpredictable story, enhanced by a wonderful performance by Emilio Echevarria.
As you see, dogs are prominent in every story and are just as important as their human counterparts. We see contrasts in the ways we look at dogs and humans... it's silly that we're rooting for the dogs the whole movie when the characters are in such miserable states. And as a dog lover, Inarritu sure got his point across well... this was VERY hard to watch.
Innaritu covers such a vast array of subjects and the characters are brilliantly designed. At two and a half hours, you'll never let your eyes leave the screen... it's one of those films where every single line spoken seems to be something you need to bring under a microscope and think "Okay, what is really being said here?" There isn't a wasted line or moment in 154 minutes.
Weaving in and out and connecting the stories at unexpected times, Inarritu manages to keep the film interesting at all times without succumbing to "style for the sake of style". This is one of the most engaging experiences you'll ever have watching a film, and it'll linger with you long after the credits roll. It's nothing short of a masterpiece by one of the absolute best directors going today. Unbelievable stuff.
González Iñárritu nos cuenta tres historias que realmente son una sola. Peleas clandestinas de perros, una amante que queda paralítica a raíz de un accidente y un asesino a sueldo contratado para matar a un joven empresario parecen temas inconexos, pero bajo el lento del Negro las piezas se encajan como si se tratara de un rompecabezas.
Most likely inspired from Pulp Fiction and other Tarantino films, Amores Perros gives you interesting charecters that have interesting stories that go along with them.
If you do wanna know though, all the stories connect at a violent car collision that contains all the MAIN charecters and, as for the last 2, introduces you to the upcoming story.
The film is perfection(to say the least), especialy the very original and well played first part.
the title translates to Love's a Bitch...its a fitting title but somehow doesnt do the film justice...maybe if it was Life's a Bitch...either way this movie is a bitch and i loved every pain filled minute of it...i had wanted to see this for years and man was it worth the wait...its such a layered and complex film...raw and unfiltered...there is no gloss only grit...its a fragmented reality that just knocks you on your ass like few movies can with its brutal and unforgiving approach and i think what sets it apart from the rest has much to do with Inarritus unconventional direction...this is indeed a heartbreaking masterpiece and on a side note as a dog lover i was glad to know that no animals were harmed in the making of this movie
Can be difficult to watch, but absolutely compelling. Great acting, strong story arcs (maybe not the woman with the dog under the floor) and fabulous use of metaphor, it's deserving of it's 'modern classic' status, but not one for everyone.
''You and your plans. You know what my grandmother used to say? If you want to make God laugh... tell Him your plans. ''
A horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life's harsh realities, all in the name of love.
Emilio Echevarría: El Chivo
Gael García Bernal: Octavio
Goya Toledo: Valeria
Amores Perros tells the stories of El Chivo, of Octavio, of the relationship between Valeria and Daniel, each starting before the crash and ending soon after it. First, Octavio is introduced to the audience as young man who desires to be with and runaway with his sister-in-law. As luck would have it, Octavio has the opportunity to earn large sums of money with the help of his dog, Cofi, in order to do so. Cofi then wins more than fifteen dogfights for Octavio until he is shot by a jealous rival of his owner. After this, Octavio tries to save his dogs life and speeds away in the condemned car. During this story, we are introduced to Daniel. An advertiser, Daniel plans to leave his wife in order to pursue a relationship with an up-and-coming model, Valeria. In the process, we learn that Daniel has given up everything for the romantic affair. Later, El Chivo is introduced to us, an ex-Zapatista revolutionary and supporter, who is now nothing more than a poverty-stricken man in the company of dogs. More so, we quickly learn that El Chivo is now a hit-man who was once a husband and father. All of these stories progress until the moment of the crash.
After the violent crash, we learn of the faced perdition of the three lives. Octavio's sister-in-law betrays him and escapes with his earnings from the dog fights, effectively ending the sordid affair. The accident cuts off one of Valeria's legs and causes insufferable tension between her and Daniel. Additionally, as a witness to the crash, El Chivo saves the life of Cofi, who later kills his only company as a poor man, his dogs. Finally, the three become stranded and alone. Octavio, embarrassed, leaves his house due to his betrayal of his sister-in-law. Valeria dies due to complications associated with the loss of her leg, and Daniel loses his family and his lover. Also, El Chivo loses his substitute family in the street dogs. The three are entwined as the ultimate victims of life and love.
This film receives many merits, not simply due to the three unique stories, but due to the collaboration of artistic and cinematic elements. Inarritu, with many others, creates a unique original atmosphere surrounding the three stories. A chosen blend of rap, jazz, alternative rock, and instrumentals compose the soundtrack. This masterful mix allows the audience to understand the pace of such a city, as Mexico City, the velocity of violent and dramatic actions, as well as the spectrum of emotions amongst each of the characters.
As with the cinematography has a similar effect for showing the diversity of the situations and actions. Inarritu makes use of various lenses for creating the atmosphere of distinct areas of the city, in order to explain the different tensions and stresses. Many of the scenes where we see Octavio and El Chivo, the atmosphere is dirty, gritty, and void of colour. In scenes with Valeria, all appears clear and clinical. The city appears modern and cleansed and the sky full of smog, showing us the differences between society's created classes.
These elements blend with the story and the performances to create the film. The story is central to the masterpiece. It deals with the theme of a crash as the only means able to touch the life of another in a large city. Through the crash, Inarritu uses the presence of dogs to connect the lives and to accentuate the phrase love's a bitch. In the end, all of the story's aspects depend on the performances and appearances of the characters. We feel their suffering and struggle when we see each person lose their happiness. Octavio loses his dog and money because he was preoccupied with a woman who betrayed him.Valeria understands that her career is ended as a model because she no longer appears beautiful, and El Chivo realizes that his former company of street dogs had been serving as his lost family. Characters are terraformed into memories conveyed of themselves, lost and alone in their world.
I recommend this film to all who would want to see a piece of genius that combines varied strokes of style, of art.
MCT:October 5, 2008
MCT:September 30, 2008
MCT:September 25, 2008
MCT:August 6, 2008
