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
The tagline for Amores Perros (Innaritu, 2000) reads: “Love is betrayal. Love is anguish. Love is sin. Love is selfish. Love is hope. Love is pain. Love is death. What is love? Love’s a bitch”; Not exactly the most appealing piece of advertising to anyone reading it, deciding whether to actually watch the film or not, but what the tagline lacks in sensitivity, in gains in honesty. Amores Perros certainly packs punches in that regard. The first tale is Octavio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Susana (Vanessa Bauche). It is Octavio that causes a crash, although being chased by a speeding pick-up truck doesn’t help a person’s nerves. His life revolves around helping to care for his family. Octavio does this by entering himself and the family dog, Cofi, into the underground world of dog fighting. The incentive for this financial gain is Susana and the child, who he plans to run away with; away from the unpredictable and often violent nature of Ramiro. The world of crime rears its ugly head when gang leader Jarocho seeks retribution from Octavio, and the car crash is the climactic point to the story of two people whose lives are torn apart by their forbidden love.
The second story in the film involves the other driver of the car involved in the crash, a woman called Valeria (Goya Toledo) and her lover, Daniel (Alvaro Guerrero). The car crash leaves Valeria seriously injured in her right leg, and although their optimism attempts to prevail, the cracks begin to surface. Behind Valeria’s beauty, an ugly temperament is born from frustration, a failing career, and being held captive by her disability. The fault lines start to appear in Daniel, too; the beautiful woman he desired has shown a side of herself that he wasn’t prepared for, and a rising level of regret shows – calling his ex-wife, falling into the same patterns, and bursts of anger. From the moment of the car crash, Daniel and Valeria’s lives and their love for each other changes, and both have to come to the realisation that what they fell in love with is the rushed love itself.
The final story is of a figure that has been present since the start of the film. The omnipresent figure of El Chivo (Emilio Echevarría) lives in squalid conditions, living on the streets and assassinating people for high prices. El Chivo appears to be a man incapable of love or has forgotten what it feels like, but as one of the on-lookers at the car-crash, his compassion results in Cofi the dog’s survival. El Chivo takes Cofi and nurses him back to health, unaware of Cofi’s brutal disposition. El Chivo, unlike the main characters in the two previous stories, knows the heartache of a lost love; his daughter doesn’t recognise him and after reading that the wife he abandoned is dead, a man who lives on the rock bottom of society has found a new emotional low. It is Cofi the dog that teaches El Chivo an important lesson in salvation. El Chivo returns to his neglected hovel to find Cofi has killed all the other dogs. Cofi has, by acting in the way he was taught to, shown El Chivo the other side to his own dark profession; the heartache that the families of his targets must feel when he kills them. To further himself along the path of redemption, El Chivo teaches the contractor and the contracted to kill the errors within their feud; it takes a character whose lack of love teaches those that love is not a constant certainty in this world. Love is something that needs to be worked at and nurtured...
In the often harsh reality of life, love can be all those things because it is such a mixture of emotions; it’s never a typical rom-com affair, that isn’t how lives are lived, no matter how much cliché pop-rock a person listens to. However, in an almost antithesised situation to the idea of blossoming love, the five lead characters stories are joined together by a brutal car crash on the streets of Mexico City. But first, we have to back up...even though the car crash it is the first thing that we are shown. Yes, it is very confusing but Amores Perros belongs in a trilogy of films (Amores Perros, 21Grams, Babel) by director Innaritu and their writer Guillermo Arriaga that adopt a non-linear storytelling method. Although initially harder to follow, the interweaving stories of the five lead characters benefit from the episodic interaction time with the audience. It reflects the reality of human interaction. One doesn’t just constantly follow another person’s trials when they are dealing with love.
Amores Perros can, at times, be a distressing film to watch. Unlike 21Grams and Babel, it doesn’t have a problem with detailing the darker sides of its subject matter, exemplified by the car crash. If, however, you can get past the gruesome factors in Amores Perros, your rewards are numerable and inspiring.
A great proportion of the strength of Amores Perros comes from the acting. The lead actors are committing to a real soul-searching project; dealing with heartbreaking situations and being in emotional states that are incomprehensible to those looking from the outside in. Emilio Echevarría’s performance is inspirational, and stands out against the other four because it is he who is the easiest to connect to. After all, El Chivo, like the audience, is a person looking in on other people’s lives, and granted a window of observation because of his status. The pinnacle of Echevarría’s performance is his final solo scene. It is hauntingly beautiful, and his dialogue pulls at the heartstrings. It is all the more effective for being shot in one continuous take - the emotion being poured out feels so genuine, and produces a greater level of interaction. This is not to say the performances of the other four leads are diminished. Goya Toledo digs deep for this film, and delivers a heartbreaking performance for anyone watching; her life being torn apart by another’s actions is like watching an angel slowly lose her wings. The surprise role in this film is Gustavo Sánchez Parra, who plays Jarocho the gang leader. It is unusual to instil an antagonist into a realist film, as typically the characters are dealing with their own internal demons. Gustavo Sánchez Parra expertly crafts himself as a sadistic gang-leader; he is not supposed to be likable but the way he delivers the lines with the right inflictions culminates in a somewhat ‘Jack-the-lad’ character.
Of course, all of the performances are aided by the material they are provided with. Guillermo Arriaga is a very gifted writer in this genre, shown by the number of nominations and wins garnered from his partnership with Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu. The dialogue for each character has such intelligence and earthly experience behind it. Even Octavio, a character steeped in impudence, has lines and turn of phrases that hang in the air (“Being tough won’t make you smart”).
A lot of what drives the film and keeps a person watching lies in the edit and camerawork. Non-linear editing can either make or break a film; it can add such intrigue and mystery to a plot that it leaves the viewer craving to watch it again, or it can destroy the narrative past comprehension. In the case of Amores Perros, the edit adds another subliminal level of realism. As stated before, the intermittent interaction time the audience has with the lead cast reflects how we interact with each other. Returning to stories in different stages adds a gripping level of wonder to the plot - seeing El Chivo wandering the streets with his cart and dogs results in a craving to know why this character is featuring in the first place (what is his importance?). Seeing the never-made interactions, like Octavio being in his bedroom while Valeria is on television, and knowing that they are destined to be involved in each other’s lives, is tantalising. The raw camerawork supporting the edit is gripping. It brings the performances of the cast to such a surface level. It adds intensity to the car chase and it complements the different surroundings of Mexico City; from the underbelly where chaos is king, to the middle class suburbia where long takes capture the repression of anger and rage.
One criticism is the film’s soundtrack and use of music-video editing within a film. When the edit has been sacrificed to fit a piece of music into the soundtrack, the overall relationship between sound and image is temporarily lost. It works in some genres; action, comedy, etc. In a realist genre, it’s preferable to have a diegetic soundtrack -it is more engrossing and believable.
Amores Perros is not for the faint of heart, but it is a genre defining film. It adds to the culture and production of Mexican cinema. It is a marvel to watch on a technical level - the shot composition and edit throws your emotions about; from utter confusion, to quiet tears and contemplation. The reason that it is so easy to watch repeatedly is because it doesn’t age - it is a modern classic. TJB
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
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
Three un-connected stories collide when a car crash in Mexico City changes the lives of everyone involved. The debut of young director Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film won the BAFTA award for Best Film Not In The English Language, despite originally being labeled “un-releasable” in the UK. In an exploration of human suffering in three different walks of life, Iñárritu uses the protagonists’ relationships with their dogs to symbolize their common struggles and fall from grace. The first of the three interwoven stories follows young working-class Octavo, played by Gael García Bernal, as he watches his older brother, Ramiro, mistreat his young wife and neglect their baby. All living together in the same house, Octavo’s sense of chivalry takes over and he decides to rescue Susana (Vanessa Bauche) and her child. To do so, he needs money, and gets himself involved with underground dog fighting, whilst secretly pursuing a relationship with Susana behind his brother’s back. Things do not go as planned, however, and a spiraling set of events land him in a car chase which causes the plot-central accident, triggering the other two narratives. This film was Bernal’s big break that led to projects such as Y Tu Mamá También, making him a popular Mexican poster boy. He has now acted in six Oscar-nominated films.
The second story follows Daniel (Alvaro Guerrero) and Valeria (Goya Toledo). Daniel is a successful man who leaves his wife and children to live with Valeria, a supermodel, in a new apartment he’s bought for them. The apartment faces a billboard with Valeria on it, and though at first their love seems genuine, their life is soon broken down and shown as superficial. Valeria is injured in the car accident, putting her in a wheelchair, whilst her dog Richie gets lost down a hole in the apartment floor. Their harmonious life begins to fray apart as these struggles put their relationship to the test.
The final story follows El Chivo (Emilio Echevarría), an ex-guerilla who now works as a hitman. Surrounded by his dogs, El Chivo is bitter and disenchanted with life, having lost his family when he chose to fight for his cause. Now, without the cause, he has nothing. We see him long for redemption in the form of reconciliation with his daughter, whilst meanwhile handling a hit on a powerful businessman. This storyline is very different to the other two, and as El Chivo watches the affects of a violent life upon his dogs, it leads him to search his soul about which life he will chose to lead…
Amores Perros has been dubbed by some as the Mexican Pulp Fiction, both because of its interweaving narratives that take us back and forth in time, and also because of its dark tones and controversial scenes. The dogfight scenes, in particular, raised concerns with censors, and extensive investigations had to be made due to their disturbing realism. However, this concern only raised the film’s notoriety, and after the scenes were deemed lawful, it helped contribute to the film’s success.
This comparison with Pulp Fiction is misleading. Do not expect any of Tarrantino’s sarcasm or tongue-in-cheek violence; Amores Perros is a gritty, challenging film that tests audiences both with its length, as well as it’s bare, up-close portrayal of suffering. The colours are as muted as the story is bleak, with close-up shots drawing the audience in to the claustrophobia of the character’s situations, particularly noticeable in settings such as Octavo’s crowded, tension-filled home. It rarely lets up, but in a film as well-written and well-executed as this, the journey is gripping and well worth the ride.
The film’s strongest points are its authenticity and its symbolism. It manages to be an emotive piece of socio-realism cinema, whilst at the same time delivering a moral to each story, neatly reflected by the fate of that story’s dog. This is a premise that could sound too kitsch to work in such a grim film, but is in fact similar to a classic storytelling technique in Mexican cinema – that of magic realism, where the real world is seen side by side with the fantastical and fairytale like. The use of dogs as a mirror to the corruption of their humans plays off of their innocence, similar to del Torro’s frequent use of a silent, observant child (Pan’s Labyrinth or Cronos). Their innocence is a foil to the protagonists’ flawed behaviour, and as this corruption affects the blank canvas of the dogs, it shocks both their owners and the audience.
The quality of the acting and scripting allow this technique to be used without softening the tone of the movie, by giving such a believable, life-like delivery. The entire cast deliver strong performances, working alongside the grungy mise-en-scène and often hand-held camerawork to give the audience an awkward sense of voyeurism. This makes the violence and suffering all the more harrowing, and twists such as the interesting turns in El Chivo’s story all the more thrilling. Echevarría’s performance is one of the strongest in the film, communicating with very few words, and often holding the screen alone. Subtle, skilled acting was required to evoke sympathy for an easily condemnable character, and being the third segment of the film, it is vital that the audience care for him and are taken in by his conflicts and changes. Vanessa Bauche also tackled an important role, portraying another morally grey character that the audience needs to care for, so that we’re with Octavo in his efforts to save Susana.
Academy Award winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla’s (Babel, Brokeback Mountain) score is beautifully delicate, and often moving, being both edgy yet understated, skillfully picking up on the mournful emotions of the characters. These few, brilliant tracks are intercut with various international artists, many of whom contribute eclectic rap or club music, picked out by former-DJ Iñárritu. This creates a soundtrack of contrasts, communicating the characters’ struggle to succeed in a dangerous world, as well as the quiet hurt secretly felt by all in it, which marries it to the tone of Amores Perros perfectly.
Some criticize the disjointed nature of Amores Perros’ narrative, following three minor plotlines instead of one fully fleshed narrative, but it is in the comparison of these three narratives that we get the sociological statement. Three very different groups of people are shown to be equally vulnerable as well as equally flawed, and essentially equally human – something which connects us all despite how far apart we can seem. This challenging of the class system is a common feature in Mexican cinema. However, touching though this sentiment is, it can feel disjointed to watch - each story is told too much in isolation, in long, separate sections instead of frequently cutting back and forth. Though this does make them easier to follow, the audience gets too settled into one story and can then feel culture shocked each time it changes. This can also make the length of the movie hard for some to digest. Yet, this film shows Iñárritu’s talent through consistent production quality and some creative and innovative direction. For example, the opening car scene instantly draws us into the chaos with its confusing, hectic nature, fading volume and image in and out to disorient us as much as the characters. Though the film could arguably benefit from some editing, no scenes are excess or weak links in the chain (with the possible exception of the slightly too comedic cries of “Richie” when the wheelchair-bound model loses her dog). Overall, this is an experience of consistent quality.
Trapping us from the get-go, Iñárritu takes us on an uncomfortable, but also touching journey. Whether you want characters to care for or getting pumped on action, something you can analyze or just a score to jam to, Amores Perros delivers a strong hand. It’s a stunning debut for a director, and a must-see for students and film enthusiasts. Not something to stick on if you want a nice easy evening in, but definitely a film that will stay with you. If you enjoy the bittersweet over the saccharin, watch it – you won’t be asking for the time back again. AIB
Biutiful is a love story between a father and his children, from the director of 21 Grams, Babel And Amores Perros.
This is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona. His livelihood is earned out of bounds, but his sacrifices for his children know no bounds.
Like life itself, this is a circular tale that ends where it begins. As fate encircles him and thresholds are crossed, a dim, redemptive road brightens, illuminating the inheritances bestowed from father to child, and the paternal guiding hand that navigates life’s corridors, whether bright, bad – or biutiful.
Film: Biutiful Release date: 28th January 2011 Certificate: TBC Running time: 148 mins Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu Starring: Javier Bardem, Maricel Alvarez, Eduard Fernández, Blanca Portillo, Ruben Ochandiano Genre: Drama Studio: Optimum Format: Cinema Country: Spain/Mexico
Film: Babel Release date: 21st May 2007 Certificate: 15 Running time: 138 mins Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu Starring: Gael García Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett Genre: Drama Studio: Paramount Format: DVD Country: France/USA/Mexico
Multiple-language release, including English. Talented director Alejandro González Iñarritú and writer Guillermo Arriaga score a hat trick with Babel, the much anticipated follow-up to their blockbusters Amores Perros and 21 Grams. The Mexican duo continue with their now defining approach of using multiple characters, storylines and now multiple timeframes to make a point about humanity on a grand scale, partly reminiscent of 2005’s Oscar-winning, love-it-or-hate-it, Crash.
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are on form, playing a distant couple who have come to Morocco for a make-or-break holiday when Blanchett’s character Susan, ironically oozing mistrust and contempt for the Moroccan people, ends up the casualty of the rifle shot fired by two young brothers (expertly played by Boubker Ait El Caid and Said Tarchini) leaving her little else to do but lie there, bleeding and crying.
The plot then deals with the rippling effects of that single rifle-shot across four countries (USA, Mexico, Japan and Morocco), linking all the characters...
The title - Babel - alludes to the story of the Tower of Babel in the Biblical book of Genesis, which was created by humankind so that they could reach the heavens. Angered at His creations’ pride and arrogance, God confused their languages so that they were no longer able to communicate, and scattered them across the face of the earth, grouped together according to their new mother tongues. This is how the world’s various races, cultures and languages were created.
Babel illustrates the supposed consequences of this event, which certainly aren’t sugar-coated. But, lo-and-behold, at a few select moments interspersed throughout, it also shows the hope and warmth that humankind can offer to others who are different to them. According to the film in general, however, language and culture seem to act as a barrier that serves to divide us rather than aid our understanding of one another. The despair created by these differences is cleverly depicted by Iñarritú.
Babel not only serves great testament to fantastic directing, but to superb, very touching acting. Pitt delivers a good performance as the grief-stricken, caring husband, who tends to his wife’s every need. Look out for a heart-warming moment, reminiscent of the calm after the storm, between Pitt and the Moroccan Tour Guide who helps him.
Iñarritú favourite Adriana Barraza delivers a fine performance as the warm, loving nanny of Pitt and Blanchett’s children back in the US, who, caught between her obligations to the children and those to her son on his wedding day, illegally takes the kids across the border to Mexico in a moment of madness. A smokin’ hot, bad-ass Gael García Bernal plays her crazy nephew, Santiago, who causes havoc on the journey back from Mexico and, perhaps most memorably, teaches the children how to best kill a chicken!
Elsewhere, Best Supporting Actress Rinko Kikuchi gives a stunning, emotionally intense performance as Chieko, a stroppy, deaf-mute Japanese teenager, struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death, not to mention her uncontrollable hormones. At one point, straight out of the blue, the affection-starved schoolgirl seductively licks her dentist’s face.
Chieko doesn’t hide her strained relationship with her constantly worried business-man father, who provides the link between this narrative and the others. An old hunting aficionado, he gave his now-infamous hunting rifle to his Moroccan tour guide as a present when he was leaving the country, and ends up being implicated in the shooting incident.
One scene that particularly stands out is when Chieko and her friends are in a nightclub after an alcohol and drug-fuelled day. The pounding beats of Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough suddenly come to a halt, allowing us to see and hear the world through her eyes – a very emotive scene, perfectly conveying Chieko’s sense of dislocation and loneliness in the big bad world.
The cinematography is breathtaking, mesmerising at times. The contrast of sweeping shots of the barren Moroccan desert with jolly Mariachis at a typically vivacious Mexican wedding and long shots of a bustling Tokyo by day is tremendous. BAFTA winner Gustavo Santaolalla also hits the nail on the head with the superb soundtrack, which perfectly reflects and makes you feel as if you are really part of each scene.
However, the interlocking narratives and time shifts between scenes may prove too much for some. Also, it does feel frustrating that there is no real conclusion to any of the narratives, but it seems that is as the director intended. It is an open-ended story that wants you to ponder life’s injustices.
Babel deals with so many different themes; some action-packed, some smile-worthy and some that can’t help but tug on your heart strings. The director deserves credit for the way he portrays the contrasting emotions and constantly keeps the viewer on their toes as to how the stories will develop. It is compulsive viewing, and is sure not to disappoint the procrastinators among us. JMN
Centred around three different stories, this film is set in the heart of the troubled and ever-changing Mexico City.
Octavio is unlucky in love and has a major crush on Susana, who is married to his abusive brother Ramiro; Daniel is a successful editor who has left his wife and kids to live with Valeria, a supermodel, in her penthouse apartment; whilst El Chivo is an ex-con turned hitman who is being paid to kill a rich businessman, against the wishes of his scared young girlfriend.
Film: Amores Perros Release date: 18th October 2010 Certificate: 18 Running time: 155 mins Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerrero, Vanessa Bauche Genre: Drama/Thriller Studio: Optimum Format: Blu-ray Country: Mexico
