Amores Perros (2000)

There are three stories here, all interlinked - but only at the start and only tangentially at that, that ask questions of humanity and loyalty amidst the sometimes quite brutal, lustful and occasionally humorous environments of a Mexico City inhabited by rich and poor alike. The opener follows the life of “Octavio” (Gael García Bernal) who lives with his mother, brother and his wife “Susana” (Vanessa Bauche) - for whom he has the hots! He hasn’t much money but that changes when his formidable dog proves to be more than a match for the local champion and so starts to earn his keep in a graphically gruesome fashion. This narks “Salgado” (Ricardo Dalmacci) to the point that an altercation causes a road accident that connects with the second, and frankly less interesting story. That features the poster-girl “Valeria” (Goya Toledo) who has just moved into a grand apartment with boyfriend “Daniel” (Álvaro Guerrero) and her annoyingly yapping dog. Not long after they have moved in, the mutt manages to get itself stuck under the floorboards and they can’t find it. With her still dealing with the consequences of our original introduction, tempers start to flare, blood pressures to rise and who knows what will happen in their hitherto Elysian world? Finally, we meet up with the itinerant “El Chivo” (Emilio Echevarria) whom we have already learned is handy with a pistol - especially if he is paid! Ostensibly, though, he’s a simple machete-wielding dog lover without ten Pesos to rub together. His is the least melodramatic of the triptych as it turns out that he has quite a rum and milk-fuelled malevolent streak that comes to an head when a Cain and Abel scenario puts just about everything else into perspective. This isn’t a film for a sensitive animal lover, but if you can get past that then we have a really dark, gritty and characterful analysis of a society polarised not just between rich and poor - neither necessarily any happier than the other - but also between men and women, young and old. Garcia turns in a solid effort, though I did find his character rather fizzled out a bit, and both Toledo and Echevarria have plenty to work with as their stories gather pace. At the end of each episode, we are left in no doubt that mankind can be remarkably adept at self-destruction, pettiness and greed but there is also room for affection, grief and humanity too - it’s just this latter element that is disappointingly thin on the ground. It’s uncomfortable to watch, but well worth it if you can see it in the cinema.