Film: Amores Perros
Release date: 24th September 2001
Certificate: 18
Running time: 154 mins
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerrero, Vanessa Bauche
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: Mexico
In 2001, Amores Perros established a concrete foundation for the allegiance of Alejandro González Iñárritu amd Gael García Bernal to build their recent stream of candid revelations about their culture. By name as well as nature, this early affiliation has no doubt influenced subsequent releases. Tragedy and money dictate the lives of three independent, but unknowingly connected individuals. A maze of stories explores the impact of a single momentous event that alters the very core of those involved. A reflection of identity and human nature, Iñárritu and Arriaga’s eloquent collaboration makes for a revealing case.
Everything kicks off with a literal bang when brothers Octavia (Gael García Bernal) and Ramiro (Marco Pérez) are introduced. Hurtled into a car chase, viewers immediately know the kind of characters they are dealing with - and they’re definitely not on the right side of the law. With unusual concern for the wounded dog lying across their back seat, the siblings dodge oncoming traffic and give the stunt team a satisfying, but moderate stretch of their skills. The aforementioned dog that clings onto life is in fact a gateway to wealth. Far from the family pet, Cofi is a working dog who earns his keep in the illegal world of dog fighting. Whilst Ramiro puts his share of winnings into his hedonistic habits, Octavia funds his secret family. Secret, because it is in fact his brother’s: he has fallen for Ramiro’s schoolgirl partner - and their child. As the abusive Ramiro busies himself with other women, drugs and money, the ‘good’ brother steps up to the role of father to his nephew.
The second set of lives Iñárritu touches upon is Daniel and Valeria (Álvaro Guerrero and Goya Toledo). The family guy and media mogul leaves his wife for his celebrity girlfriend, but the woman he fell for doesn’t hang around for long. She may have remained in body, but her tormented spirit has gone AWOL. Valeria is the true heroine of the tale, exposing Daniel‘s role as little more than a vehicle through which to express the gross avarice of modern society.
Chivito is played by Echevarrí, who is fast becoming a Bernal for the older generation - or maybe that should be Bernal is an Echevarri for teenagers. Often appearing alongside his counterpart, Echevarrí makes his apprentice accessible to his peers. Chivito completes the Amores Perros trio and proves crime isn’t just for the young. Not quite homeless, he has a roof over his head and food in his stomach courtesy of his criminal contacts; few standards or taboos are too low to line his wallet. When viewers relive the accident one final time, they see that he is one of the first on the scene, rummaging shamelessly through blood soaked pockets. A reputable crook, he charges fractional fees to carry out the desires of villains, and his latest job makes him responsible for solving a sibling tension once and for all…
Amores Perros is a film driven equally by story and character. Iñárritu undoubtedly proves his craftsmanship by harnessing Arriaga’s intricate script, taming it and presenting it to punters in a truly accessible way. Like a circus master of cinema, he boldly thrusts his head into the lion’s mouth of plot. Yawning wide, it is poised, threatening to clamp down and sink those jagged fangs of mishap and mistake into the director’s neck. Yet Iñárritu effortlessly escapes the peril he flirts with, albeit with tried and tested themes. So smoothly does he execute the script, it may only be when viewers step back to recall the entirety of what they have watched that they realise its enormity.
Such an extensive collection of plots requires a similarly extensive cast, and a gifted one at that. Iñárritu strikes gold once again, as his actors deliver wonderfully. With no light-hearted task ahead of them, they have a duty to represent persuasive and forcible transformations. Of course, to claim that each undergoes a personality transplant would be crude, but undeniably they all grow in their own appropriate and achievable ways. Octavia’s may be a little predictable and a little twee, but provides a firm foundation.
Valeria’s development is deserving of closer inspection: it is gradual, rewarding and endearing. Toledo puts on a noteworthy performance - utterly compelling and inspiring. The costume department also demonstrates its skill, manifesting Valeria’s strife in her appearance. Established as a typical supermodel type, she is capitalism personified. Her body and life is shattered, however, and this triggers her own personal discovery; rather beautifully, she descends into modesty and reticence. A little too perfect and a little too satisfying, her situation is nevertheless a powerful one. Viewers, whether they know it or not, will have already endured streams of Marxism in film, but this shouldn’t detract from their import. Teaming politics with trauma and personal crises, Iñárritu avoids exhausting the argument - thankfully, he makes his point and swiftly moves on.
Chivito goes on proving the talents of Iñárritu’s costumiers - he is physically unrecognisable by the film’s end. His story and character overhaul is spectacular in terms of outward transformation, but also by its alteration to the entire film. The latter is so subtle, and perhaps slightly subjective, that the additional layer of suggestion brought to Ameros Perros may remain undetected by many. For those who do uncover it, the entire film will take on an entirely new meaning. Ultimately, it seems to question assumptions made of each character’s identity - a poignant challenge, strikingly applicable to judgements made in real life.
Iñárritu truly masters Arriaga’s script, and irrefutably knew what he was doing when he made Amores Perros. By the end, it becomes clear that every detail is fully intended and contributes to a sum greater than its parts. With remarkable skill, he accessibly works socio-political commentary and personal tribulations into a complicated yet coherent film. RS
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