I never got to see this film while it was in the theatres. I was always so busy and anyway, the talk of dog fighting put me off. But after hearing so many glowing recommendations, I finally got around to renting it on DVD.
Set in Mexico and focusing on three separate yet interwoven stories, the film uses a terrible car crash as a jumping off point.
In the first segment a young man, Octavio, (played by the superb Gael Garcia) is in love with his abusive brother's wife. He wants to raise enough money for them to run away together so he uses his beloved dog 'Cofi' and gets involved in the violent world of dog fighting. The second act tells the tale of a supermodel whose lover leaves his wife and daughters to set up home with her. She is devoted to her terrior 'Richie' and is devastated when he disappears through a hole in the floor and doesn't return. Throughout both of these segments we catch glimpses of a transient, scruffy character who is perpetually surrounded by a pack of adoring dogs, and we finally learn his story in the third and final act.
At three hours, the structure of the film is impressive, especially as it begins at a frenetic pace and then slows down somewhat - but it leads us to a satisfying conclusion. The soundtrack in particular is brilliant, as is the acting, writing, photography and design.
'Amores Perros' is as the title states, a film about love, and all types of love. Blind love, foolish love, familial love, co-dependant love, unrequited love, parental love, thwarted love, sexual love - it's all there and played out through the love the principal characters have for their pet dogs. In one way the film examines the human 'animal instinct', the human capacity for violence and our deep seated need for survival. It is a huge, sprawling piece which is exhilarating, visceral, violent, heartbreaking, funny, passionate, vibrant and urgent.
Films like this don't come along very often. You really should see it.
Set in Mexico and focusing on three separate yet interwoven stories, the film uses a terrible car crash as a jumping off point.
In the first segment a young man, Octavio, (played by the superb Gael Garcia) is in love with his abusive brother's wife. He wants to raise enough money for them to run away together so he uses his beloved dog 'Cofi' and gets involved in the violent world of dog fighting. The second act tells the tale of a supermodel whose lover leaves his wife and daughters to set up home with her. She is devoted to her terrior 'Richie' and is devastated when he disappears through a hole in the floor and doesn't return. Throughout both of these segments we catch glimpses of a transient, scruffy character who is perpetually surrounded by a pack of adoring dogs, and we finally learn his story in the third and final act.
At three hours, the structure of the film is impressive, especially as it begins at a frenetic pace and then slows down somewhat - but it leads us to a satisfying conclusion. The soundtrack in particular is brilliant, as is the acting, writing, photography and design.
'Amores Perros' is as the title states, a film about love, and all types of love. Blind love, foolish love, familial love, co-dependant love, unrequited love, parental love, thwarted love, sexual love - it's all there and played out through the love the principal characters have for their pet dogs. In one way the film examines the human 'animal instinct', the human capacity for violence and our deep seated need for survival. It is a huge, sprawling piece which is exhilarating, visceral, violent, heartbreaking, funny, passionate, vibrant and urgent.
Films like this don't come along very often. You really should see it.