Amores Perros

Amores Perros (2000, Alejandro González Iñárritu) is a twisting, branched narrative summing up the darker side of life in Mexico City. It places several seemingly unrelated storylines on a loom of a narrative and the result is well-woven tapestry of love, hate, and deception. The protagonist, Octavio, is truly in love with his brother's wife, Susana. When finances become the only barrier to their love, he turns to dog fighting with Cofi, the dog he shares with his brother Ramiro. Upon Ramiro's discovery of the plot, he takes his wife and child along with all of the money that Octavio had earned, leaving Octavio with only one option... a high-stakes dog fight. An unexpected twist leads to a high-speed pursuit culminating in a violent car accident. Meanwhile, a Spanish gentleman named Daniel is fast at work getting over a divorce with his wife and his departure from the family that he cares so much for. His new woman, a supermodel named Valeria, finds herself in the hospital after being the victim of a high speed car accident-- her car being the other particpant in Octavio's violent wreck. A series of complications leads to the eventual amputation of her leg. The realization that her life as she knows it is over leads her into a deep depression and leaves the fate of her new relationship hanging in the balance. Lastly, an assassin by the name of El Chivo is meant to kill a man at a cafe just as the aforementioned wreck takes place. Chivo finds Cofi and nurses him back to health, only to have Cofi then kill the rest of Chivo's only companions: his other dogs. This distraction from his mission leaves the intended target alive long enough to reveal that his nemesis is his business parter and half-brother. The saga of that broken family leads Chivo to attempt to reconnect with his own family that he'd left over 20 years previous.

This film follows a Hollywood-centric style with its quick-take editing and convincing special effects-- especially in the portrayal of an injured person or animal. Although the film is credited as a Mexican film, its central themes and concepts are not uniquely Mexican. Divorce rates are especially high in the United States, and the lower class of America's violent crime rates are miles above those of the privileged. This is echoed in Octavio and Ramiro's fight to financially provide for Susana while, in stark contrast contrast, Valeria is content and peaceful before the accident. As a tool to promote these differences, the use of props for mis-en-scene, such as Valeria's new, spacy apartment, is especially effective in defining the class boundaries in this film. The costuming also helps to create a sense of class among the characters, most notably defined by El Chivo. His raggedy, worn clothing and long, gray beard emphasize his lack of hygeine and an almost inhuman lack civilized living. On the outside, he appears to be homeless and desperate, almost causing the viewer to sympathize with his career as a hitman.