Amores Perros

BFI Film Classics

by Paul Julian Smith, Rob White (Editor)

Amores Perros (2000) speaks to an international audience while never oversimplifying its local culture. This study of this film opens up that culture, revealing the film's relationship to television soap operas, pop music and contemporary debates about what it means to be Mexican.

Genres: Film

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2003

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this film recently with very little pre-knowledge of what to expect, but had been dipping into Central American / Latin American cinema and this was just a constant presence in the background.
The director calls it a 'two-hour visceral scream', which is about right, and I was knocked over by the impact the film had on me...reading this makes me understand why.

The BFI guides come in all shapes and sizes, and this one is an example of when it takes its analysis seriously and really goes into why this film has such an impact. The cultural detail makes a massive difference to the understanding of the film, whilst the technical details about how the colour and sound was used and manipulated was fascinating.

Highly recommended read, but only after you've seen the film, of course...

[Aaron Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

a 2021 christmas present from a friend that i majorly devoured whilst in mexico city this past summer. it’s great to ponder about this film’s upbringing and reaction while experiencing who was around me and the distinctive class delineations while walking from la roma to cdmx centro.

all i can say is casting pretty boy gael garcia bernal was a genius move and we’re all thankful for it.

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 thoughtful companion to the film.