COM 192- INTERPRETING CINEMA

Final Film Assignment

Kushaan Sethi

2110110300

Movie - Amores Perros

Amores Perros is a complicated and intense Mexican film directed by Alejandro González
Iñárritu, released in 2000. The film integrates and connects three different stories, all of which
explore different emotions and phases of life in the busy city of Mexico. Alejandro, in
unknowing ways, kept a mystery of all three films while still giving us a glimpse and inkling
about the next story. Each story that is showcased has significance to complete the plot. The film
offers the viewers a thought-provoking cinematic experience with themes of intensity, love,
violence, and personal relations in each story. Through bold visuals and fierce character
performances, the film becomes an intriguing film for everyone to watch.

The film has an iconic scene which is a heated vehicle chase scene, setting the tone for the fast-
paced and thrilling story that follows. This single sequence establishes the entire plot for the rest
of the film. As the scene is reproduced from several points of view taken from three distinct
stories, it provides a sense of mystery. I was initially perplexed by what was going on in the
vehicle collision scene, but as the stories progressed, each scene connected with one another to
create such an impactful storyline.

The film is visually and sound-wise compelling, and it has received critical acclaim for its
excellent use of camera angles and sound design. The film's camera perspective and sound
design work in combination to produce a remarkable cinematic experience, from the rugged
streets of Mexico City to the raw noises of violence and chaos.

The film has several overlapping sounds which at first made me a little puzzled with the initial
scenes. Later I understood that all of this was to create an environment of chaos to help support
our main car crash scene.
1st Story:

The film begins with Octavio, a young man involved in illegal dog fighting with his dog Cofi
who is extremely ferocious. Initially, Octavio was not too eager to let his dog fight but as soon as
the money and earnings came into the picture, he was instantly persuaded. Octavio’s brother
Ramiro and his sister-in-law Susana live together in one house with their mother. From the start
of Ramiro and Susana’s relationship, Octavio fancied Susana and questioned why he could not
get into a relationship with her. Ramiro was extremely abusive with his wife and with Susana
expecting another child she was terrified about living through that abuse.

Octavio was always very understanding with Susana and later he planned to express his feelings
towards her. The two got into an intimate moment and from that point onwards Octavio started
collecting a lot of money only for him and Susana to escape Mexico and live a separate life in
Uruguay. But things took a sudden turn one day as when the two of them were ready to abandon
Ramiro and escape together, Susana betrayed Octavio and escaped with Ramiro with all the
money Octavio earned.

Disappointed Octavio planned to use the remaining he had to put into a last dog fight with his
counterpart Jaracho. With Jaracho’s frustration, he decides to shoot Cofi and bring the dog’s
fighting legacy to a permanent end. Octavio, with all his anger, stabs Jaracho. This is the start of
the ultimate car crash scene that sets off a chain of events that intertwine the lives of various
characters.

Octavio's persistent love for Susana leads him down a perilous path, as he becomes involved in
the brutal world of dogfighting to win her heart. His actions, however, have disastrous
implications not only for himself but also for those around him, especially his brother Ramiro
and their shared love interest, Susana.

2nd Story:

The second story centers on Valeria, a beautiful model who is in a passionate relationship with
her married boyfriend, Daniel. Daniel recently separates from his wife and kids to start a new life
with Valeria. The start of their story seems all cheerful and happy with their dog Richie. Valeria
becomes a successful model and has started her dream life with her lover Daniel. Daniel
purchases an apartment that has a view of Valeria’s billboard. Everything was perfect but as a
viewer, I got an inclination that things were about to take a turn for the worse as the theme was
somewhat set since the car accident scene. Valeria goes for a drive with Richie and meets with a
car accident too. Well, it was clearly not a surprise as Valeria’s car collides with Octavio’s car
from the initial story. As soon as this happened, we could connect the dots further to really
understand how the director wants the film to play out for the viewers. The car accident leaves
Valeria terribly injured and trapped inside her apartment.
This incident started a tough and painful phase in their relationship. Being bedridden, Valeria felt
extremely underproductive and gradually started losing out on her contracts and modeling
opportunities. On the other hand, Daniel who very recently broke ties with his wife has to be
extremely strong for Valeria. This started a monotonous cycle between the two where they
would end up arguing and being at each other's throats.

During this time when Richie got stuck under their wooden floor, Valeria tried to help him come
outside. Valeria already was in somewhat of a severe condition where one of her legs was
completely supported. Even after all the physical incapabilities she tries to help Richie and
eventually ends up hurting herself further. Daniel rushes Valeria to the hospital only to find a
piece of even more disturbing news that her entire leg will need to be amputated.

The story ends on a very painful note which at least made me a little emotional. Daniel and
Valeria enter their apartment and now Valeria is in an electric wheelchair. She takes her
wheelchair towards the window in the hope to see her billboard, maybe just to get some
reassurance of how she was on the verge of becoming an even more successful model. Valeria
ends up seeing her billboard poster being stripped off and a plain black billboard that was open
to different offers.

Despite their real love for each other, Daniel and Valeria endure several hurdles and barriers that
lead to disastrous outcomes. The second story is a tale of love and loss with an abundance of
emotions. From their initial aspirations and visions of a better life together through Valeria's
injury, the story emphasizes the fragility of happiness and the unpredictability of life. This story
showcases the cruel hand of fate and how the tables can turn so quickly in life. Nothing can be
set in stone and every situation can be unpredictable.

3rd Story:

El Chivo, a former revolutionary who has gone to a life of crime, is the subject of the third and
last story. The story begins with a scene where an individual named Gustavo wants to kill his
half-brother, Luis. Gustavo seeks the help of our protagonist El Chivo and provides him with a
certain amount of money to kill Luis as he thinks he has betrayed him and is cheating.
El Chivo, who used to be a happy husband and father completely separated himself from his
family. He left his entire family to shift from being a guerilla to a hitman. With his rugged beard
and old look, personally, I felt that his shift from a happy father to a gangster was appropriate.
However, despite his violent and ruthless exterior, El Chivo has a soft spot for animals,
particularly dogs whom he cares for deeply. El Chivo continued his work and started following
Luis everywhere. Here is where a significant incident takes place which helps us finally link the
last story with our iconic scene. Chivo is taking his handcart to follow Luis to a restaurant with
his dogs. At that exact moment, the same accident takes place. Chivo instantly rushes to the spot
and helps Octavio. While doing so, he steals his wallet and a lot of cash. Not only this, he ends
up picking up Cofi the injured dog, and takes him to his cart. The entire scene happens in a very
short span of time but the importance of that one scene is so much. It finally helps us with
weaving the entire story.

The story continues but later pays more attention to his strained relationship with his daughter. In
the film, we could see how Chivo’s wife passes away and all that remains is his daughter with
whom he doesn’t have any connection now. Chivo mourns the loss of his wife and regrets his
decision to change his lifestyle. He had a happy life with his entire family but now he does not
have anything.

When Chivo plans to kill Luis, he keeps him hostage in his own house. He makes him suffer the
entire night and then the next day calls Gustavo over. When Gustavo arrives, Chivo invites him
inside. Instantly he gives Gustavo the gun and commands him to shoot his own half-brother.
Petrified Gustavo does not pull the trigger and Chivo hits him to the floor. It almost felt like the
entire scene was abandoned.

To my surprise, there is a complete shift in El Chivo’s look and thoughts. He decides to put this
profession, well I cannot even call it a profession of being a hitman, past him and take an effort
to build his relationship with his daughter. Personally, I feel this switch happened when Cofi
ended up fighting all of El Chivo’s dogs. It almost felt like he lost everything that he had. The
only tie he had left was with his daughter.

This story ends on a very unusual and confusing note as we see El Chivo going to his daughter’s
house to put a message on her telephone machine. We can see him get extremely emotional and
apologetic. He regrets his choice of walking out on his entire family.

His bond with Cofi shows how he reflects on his past mistakes and regrets. In the last scene, we
can see El Chivo walking towards a stretch of black soil or barren land. It almost felt like he was
taking a path towards oblivion and that there was no end to that one stretch of land. This story
depicts how El Chivo has a change of heart and ultimately chooses not to go with the killing and
leave his current life behind him. It shows how one might make errors or mistakes in life but
overcoming and facing those mistakes matters the most. El Chivo played an extremely strong
role in the beginning, but his change makes this story even more interesting and noteworthy.

An intriguing observation about the movie is that dogs play a central role in all three stories,
serving as a common thread that ties the narratives together. The involvement of dogs is
something I really appreciated. It showed us how animals play such a key role in any
individual’s life.
In conclusion, “Amores Perros” is a cinematic masterpiece. The way the three stories kept a
mystery to themselves yet showed snippets to help the viewers connect the dots to the plot is
something I found to be amazing. The film examines themes of fate, violence, redemption, and
interconnectivity through its distinctive multi-narrative format and the major role that dogs play
in each of the stories. The destinies of the characters are still unknown when the film closes,
which causes the spectator to pause and think. It forces us to consider the decisions we make and
the effect they can have on the people around us. The film offers a real and vivid portrait of love,
sorrow, and the complexities of human relationships, serving as a powerful reflection on the
human condition. Personally, I extremely enjoyed the intensity of the film and would completely
recommend it as a must-watch for everyone.