From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amores perros
Poster for Amores perros
Directed by	Alejandro González Iñárritu
Produced by	Alejandro González Iñárritu
Written by	Guillermo Arriaga
Starring	Emilio Echevarría Gael García Bernal Goya Toledo Álvaro Guerrero Vanessa Bauche Jorge Salinas Adriana Barraza Gustavo Sánchez Parra
Music by	Gustavo Santaolalla Antonio Vega
Cinematography	Rodrigo Prieto
Editing by	Luis Carballar Alejandro González Iñárritu Fernando Pérez Unda
Distributed by	Nu Vision (Mexico) Lions Gate Films (USA) Filmax International (Spain}
Release date(s)	14 May 2000 (premiere at Cannes) 16 June 2000 30 March 2001 5 April 2001 18 May 2001
Running time	153 minutes
Country	Mexico
Language	Spanish
Budget	US$2,000,000
IMDb profile

Amores perros is a Mexican film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu in 2000. It is a portmanteau film, containing three distinct stories which are connected by a car accident in Mexico City. Each of the three tales is also a reflection on the cruelty of humans towards each other, showing how they end up living darker and more hideous lives than the dogs around them. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001.

The film was released under its Spanish title in the English-speaking world, although it was sometimes translated as Love's a Bitch in marketing. In a 2001 interview on National Public Radio, Iñárritu pointed out that Love's a Bitch is an American English idiom, and is not a satisfactory translation of the title.

The film is constructed from three distinct stories linked by a car accident that brings the characters briefly together.

"Octavio and Susana" stars Gael García Bernal and Vanessa Bauche as the title characters. Susana is Octavio's brother's wife. However Octavio is in love with Susana, and doesn't like how his brother treats her. Susana also has story with him and so he tries to convince her to run away with him. Needing to make money, so he and Susana can escape and start a life of their own, Octavio becomes involved in the business of dog-fighting, until his dog Cofi, after a fight, is shot by the rival's owner who Octavio then stabs. Octavio finds himself in a car chase along with his lifelong friend, and the wounded dog in the back seat, being fired at by his pursuers. In the crash his best friend dies. Brother against brother, dramatic injustice, incontrolable violence come to light.

"Daniel and Valeria" stars Álvaro Guerrero and Goya Toledo. Daniel is a successful magazine publisher who leaves his family to go and live with the supermodel Valeria. Unfortunately, Valeria is badly injured in the accident involving Octavio's car and therefore can no longer work as a model. Valeria's dog disappears under the floorboards in her and Daniel's apartment one day and lives there for days. After this occurs she reinjures her leg trying to help the dog and it grows infected thus forcing the doctors to amputate. Once her leg is gone she realizes that her life is ruined and she will never model again. Their story revolves around the love of these two as a superficial thing, as the result of desire and treason.

"El Chivo and Maru" stars Emilio Echevarría and Lourdes Echevarría. It concerns a man who lives mainly on the streets, looking after a huge collection of mongrel dogs that follow him, but earning his money as a hitman. Hired by a man to kill his business partner he learns that the wanted victim is his client's brother. El Chivo captures both and leaves them chained to the walls with a gun. He is in the area when the car crash occurs and manages to save Octavio's wounded dog. He then takes it home and nurtures it until it is healthy again. But then, and this is the second dramatic center of the movie, this rescued fight dog who he's been caring for, goes on to kill all other dogs in the house. Throughout his story, El Chivo tries to make contact with his daughter, Maru, who believes he is dead. This dark and violent hitman, living in the garbage, then leaves a stack of money saved from his jobs for her and disappears again when all that he wants is to meet her. Uncontrolled destruction, impossible insensibility, irresponsible violence.

The movie begins with, and revolves around, the car crash which is the common event in all three stories. Octavio runs a light during the chase, hitting the car Valeria is driving. El Chivo is the first on the scene, the accident stopping him from his latest assignment. This accident changes all three of the main characters' lives.

More importantly, the movie tries to portray its characters as unable to see beyond their immediate instincts and create a good living for themselves, but rather bound by their sexual and violent instincts into killing each other, in small fights through their lives that will, at any moment, end up in random crash somewhere.

The film was produced by Zeta Film and AltaVista Films. Production began on 12 April 1999.

The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

This 2000s drama film-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

The films of Alejandro González Iñárritu
Amores Perros | 21 Grams | Babel

Preceded by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language 2001

Succeeded by Talk to Her