"Amores Perros" is a Mexican film directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and set in Mexico City. Much like the British hit "Snatch" this film follows three seemingly unrelated plot lines that all intersect with an accident at the end of the film.
We first follow Octavio in his struggles to help support his brother’s wife. As he finds out that his dog has a talent for killing he decides to use him to win money dog fighting. We then switch to follow Valeria, a professional model. She falls on hard times when a sudden health problem causes her to leave modeling and stresses her relationship with her lover Daniel. Finally we also see the story of El Chivo. After he leaves his wife and daughter he is forced to live in a shack with his dogs. Like Octavio, El Chivo turns to vice in order to make his living, taking up a job as a hit man. These three stories are seemingly autonomous of each other until a car crash between them causes more problems for them all.
One commonality we see throughout the film however is the presence of dogs. Each character is very affectionate for their dogs, almost as if they were family. It seems as though Inarritu is trying to comment on society. As we see dogs compete in the dog fighting ring, fighting for their lives and honor it reminds us of humans in their constant class struggle to try and rise to the top. Feeling the loyalty to their masters the dogs in ring fight fiercely. Similarly we see humans as well struggling to support their loved ones, sometimes as seen in "Amores Perros" even in despicable ways such as robbing and killing.
"Amores Perros" is especially enjoyable because it contains many global themes. The mise en scene clearly helps describe both a poor, destitute Mexico as well as a decadent, luxurious one. This is a class struggle we are all familiar with in America. As mentioned before the savageness and violence of the dogs seems to comment on the reality of the cold world. Most important however is the theme of love and loss. We see Valeria's relationship disintegrate after a crash takes her leg and her career. Octavio participates in dog fighting to support eloping with his brother's wife but in the end is turned down. El Chico is probably the greatest story of woe. He is haunted because he had to abandon his daughter years earlier. He lives in a shack with a pack of stray dogs which he gives his love and affection to. After he saves Octavio's dog it kills El Chico's stray dog friends causing El Chico further loss. This theme can be traced back to Lord Tennyson who was quoted in the 19th Century saying "tis' better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." Even if you agree or not you can certainly appreciate how important the theme of lost love was to people back then, today and will be in the future.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
"Amores Perros" Review
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree that the film is filled with global themes. These are themes that are used in films all over the world. Not only are the themes in films, but they are also experienced by people everywhere, so audiences can relate. I also found the use of dogs in all three stories interesting.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't caught onto the dogs paralleling the humans bit. Each character is like their dogs in some way. Octavio is fighting his brother, Valeria is confined to her little space, and El Chivo is alone in the world. It's very interesting the way Gonzalez uses mans best friend to portray how close our animal instincts are to our supposedly evolved persons.
ReplyDeleteI love your take on the representation of dogs in the film as a class struggle. It's an interesting interpretation that would not have occurred to me without reading this review. Your plot summary is also well-formed, leaving the reader with enough information to understand the plot-line without having given away the entire film. Your association of the film with the old "Love and Lost" adage is relevant, but your argument around its significance is perhaps a little blurry. Valeria ends the film in depression, Octavio's best friend is dead, and all of El Chivo's dogs are killed. Even his daughter doesn't take him back. Perhaps in the case of these characters, never to have loved at all would have been preferable.
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't pick up the presence of dogs in all three scenes until now. I looked more at the connection of the stories through the accident rather than the dogs. I agree with your characterization of the themes as global because much of what goes on in the movie can be related to by people all over the world.
ReplyDeleteI liked and agreed with your comparison of the dogs fighting for their honor like their owners struggle to support their loved ones, but I'm not sure you can compare the drastic class distinction in Mexico to the US and use it as evidence for a global film.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with the theory of dogs representing human struggles with regards to poverty and class. The central theme does agree with the saying you;ve quoted, but serves more as a bitter reminder of that quote, rather than an enforcer. The pain of losing someone you've loved cannot be compensated by the experience of having loved.
ReplyDelete