30 Second Bottom Line: People from three different strata of Mexican society have their lives altered because of a car crash and a love for dogs. The crash is spectacular because you see it from three vantagepoints at different times in the film, experienced by each of the individuals involved.
Story Line: The first characters we meet in this labyrinthine tale are certainly ones you'd steer clear of on a dark street. They commit armed robberies and earn a living waging dogfights in an abandoned wading pool. Actions by this crew lead to a car chase and a crash that affects the second set of players in this trilogy of sorts; a glamorous model, Valeria (Goya Toledo), and her advertising executive boyfriend, Daniel (Alvaro Guerrero), who is married. These two perhaps play out the most moving of the three segments, because they are people who think they know the consequences of their actions and have their future in control. They bring to life the meaning of the words, "You never know…."
The third overlapping story involves a former professor, El Chivo (Emilio Echevarria), who left his family to become a guerrilla fighter for a higher social cause. He returns to the city and lives as a homeless man and occasional assassin.
As in Pulp Fiction (the comparison is inevitable) this story is one that turns back in on itself at different points in time, so if I give too much detail it will only serve to confuse the matter.
Susana (Vanessa Bauche) is a young wife and mother married to Ramiro (Marco Perez), who abuses her. He works as a cashier at the local supermarket, but commits armed robberies for real cash (somewhat ironic for a cashier). Ramiro's plan is to provide a better life for his wife and child with the proceeds from robbing a bank.
Octavio (Gael Garcia Bernal) lives in the same small house with his brother Ramiro and his family. Susana and Octavio are having a torrid affair and Octavio wants to leave and build a new life with her and the baby. He sees a chance to make some fast money when he sees his dog mangle another one in a fight on the street.
After a dogfight competition in an abandoned shallow pool, a car chase ensues which results in a major crash that introduces the other two segments of the story. Valeria, a high fashion model, whose billboard picture is all over town, is seriously injured. She is the embodiment of beautiful. That is, what is considered beautiful by society and we see how things can change quickly for the worse. Valeria and Daniel have recently moved into a new apartment together. Daniel feels somewhat guilty because he has left his loving wife and young children. This devastating event tests everyone's limits.
The car crash also brings in the remaining story, about the character El Chivo (the goat). Walking near the scene of the accident, he picks up a dog left for dead and nurses him back to health. We soon learn that he and the dog have a lot in common. El Chivo makes his living by pretending to be a homeless man who is in fact an assassin.
The film is about the serendipity of how closely our lives are connected to other people who we may never know. This is sometimes known as six degrees of separation. All of the key characters have an impact on each other's lives yet they never meet.
Tell Me More About It: Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu makes a big splash with his first feature film Amores Perros, from Mexico, which won the best feature film award at the October 2000 Chicago International Film Festival. It was also a prizewinner at Cannes. While I do think it's a very good film and an outstanding start for a first effort, when I ask myself the question "What did I learn?" the answer is not a whole lot. Other films in the festival such as Innocence, Faithless and The Visit both entertained me and told me something new and useful about the human condition. Amores Perros really is a Latino Pulp Fiction, albeit an improved one.
The link in each of the three intertwined stories is the dogs. Each of the three segments focuses on a person for whom their love of dogs plays a major part of their life. They love their dogs for various reasons, in different ways. Another tie that binds the stories is what these characters do for love, at least their interpretations of love. I guess love is a bitch regardless of your love for dogs or not.
DVD