In between, and outside, of them both is El Chivo (Emilio Echevarría), a wandering man who appears to be homeless, but is also a hitman for hire. He has the same authenticity that has always marked his intense screen presence, at once brooding, angry and naive – matched by the vulnerable but tough turn by Bauche.Īt the other end of the social ladder is Valeria (Goya Toledo), a model who moves in to a lush new flat, but finds her dream life undone by the harrowing disappearance of her dog under the floorboards – a dark twist of events that, in what is surely no coincidence, brings to mind Edgar Allen Poe. It’s a superb performance by Bernal in his feature debut, before he would go on to star in Y Tu Mama Tambien.

“Give me your dog and I’ll forget it,” threatens one hoodlum whom they owe money too, but Octavio laughs at the very notion – in this world, that relationship is as valuable and intimate as any human tie, and Octavio’s fondness for Cofi grows even as he becomes a means by which he can raise the funds to run away with Susana. Inside the car is Octavio (Gael Garcia Bernal), who is struggling to make ends meet, and also struggling to come to terms with his secret feelings for Susana (Vanessa Bauche), the wife of his brother, Ramiro (Marco Perez). Those human lives are thrown into sharp relief by the car crash that brings all three strands together.

It’s an unsettling snapshot of an underground culture that feels all the more barbaric for Iñárritu’s brief snatches of the canine combat (no dogs were harmed, the filmmakers insist) – a reminder of how ruthless the dog-eat-dog world of the city is for the humans who also reside there. The director’s remarkable, vivid debut is a violent affair, too violent for some, not least because it begins by immersing us in Mexico City’s dog-fighting circles, where cruel owners put man’s best friend into decidedly unfriendly confrontations. Not that it needs any additional energy – this thriller is a visceral feat of filmmaking. Watch Amores Perros online in the UK: Amazon Prime / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / Rakuten TV / Google Play / Sky Store / CHILIĪ film in which several people’s lives criss-cross and collide? Today, that idea might sound tired and familiar, but in 2000, it added a rush of bold energy to Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros.

Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Vanessa Bauche, Goya Toledo, Emilio Echevarría

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