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Review:
Amores Perros, director Inarritu's first film, is an absolute gem, a passionate, mature film that forces its audience to stand up and take notice. The story grabs us from the opening sequence, depicting a terrifying car chase through Mexico City, then doubles back to focus on the events leading up to it, and shifts forward again to visit the aftermath.
These three tales of love and betrayal, of moral starvation, and the difficulty of redemption follows a dysfunctional working class family, a rich philandering husband and his perfume-model mistress, and an ex-revolutionary who now lives the life of a homeless man.
Throughput the film, the well-composed narrative jumps from present to past (in a way that
seems to be often compared to Pulp Fiction) and yet never becomes confusing. Though the stories, and the various characters, are inter-connected in moments, they are quite dissimilar in their content, in the human facet they explore, and in the style they are filmed.
The first story is by far the most fascinating, giving up a piece of Mexico City that is violent, hectic, and in-your-face. Though the inescapable tragedy is predictable, the energy, cinematography and set-up on display are mesmerizing. The savage, very real-looking dog-fights that pepper this story are convincing and necessary to parallel the lives, and the real "dog-eat-dog" nature, of their masters.
In fact, the very different relationship between dogs and humans in each segment is almost as important to the film's perception of our human nature as the one between people, and allows for a much more interesting description of the dynamics between the characters and their own moral core. Indeed, the dogs mirror the attitudes of their owners and, as well conceived metaphor, adds another subtle flavor to the proceedings.
This is a film that is physically and emotionally brutal, and sparks the senses with its passion and its portrayal of a gritty reality. Yet there are moments of grace, beauty, and even touches of the surreal throughout, especially in the last segment. The ending of the film is open-ended, we never know what the final fate of these characters is, yet though the events are mostly tragic, their is a spark of hope for each of them - life has thrown them the worst, and they have suffered, but also lived through it.
As a triptych through different strata of Mexico City life, the film manages to capture what feels like the essence of this bustling city. But where it really shines is in showing us universal human feelings and failings in such a beautiful, striking manner.
The colorful, interesting cinematography is at times startling and always atmospheric, inserting the viewer right into the lives of the protagonists. As for the cast, they all give fine performances, most especially legendary actor Echevarria as the decrepit hobo earning his life as a hit-man who longs to reconcile with his estranged wife and now-adult daughter.
Well shot, well structured, and absolutely fascinating, Amores Perros is a powerful and down-right thought-provoking experience.
Drama: 9/10
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