Amores Perros was one of the best films of the 2000s in my opinion and I have continued to enjoy Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu's subsequent films despite the backlash he has faced in some circles. The Japanese DVD version had English subtitles and I was blown away by the dramatic opening and Spanish rap music and controversial content. I remember recommending it to a friend who said he couldn't finish it because his girlfriend was freaking out about the dog fighting too much. I forgot how much that was a part of the first story. Some other observations on my second viewing: 1) the second story again seemed to drag and slow down the action 2) there was some romantic melodrama reminiscent of Wong Kar Wai (who Inaritt mentions as an influence).
After my second viewing of the film I read Paul Julian Smith's BFI Modern Classic treatment of Amores Perros and it was a very thoughtful treatment of the film and filled in a lot of details about the development of the project. For example, since I am not familiar with Mexican culture I wouldn't be able to identify how they played with the conventions of the "telenovela" or would I have been aware of the "mexicandad" movement (promotion of the native culture of Mexico). Smith analyzes the class tensions and gives some criticisms of institutions like the police, big business, and families. It is an interesting and thoughful companion to the film.
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