Overview
A gripping tale of love and loss unfolds amidst the chaos of a city on the brink of change.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- gritty
- visceral
- melancholic
- serious movie night
- film study
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an intense, gritty, formally inventive landmark of the Nuevo Cine Mexicano, praising its interwoven structure and portrait of contemporary Mexico City despite its difficult brutality.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Octavio, Valeria, and Chivo occupy distinct storylines linked by the central car accident and its aftermath.
Dog fighting, Richie’s disappearance, Cofi’s injuries, and Chivo’s care for strays parallel the characters’ emotional and ethical states.
The characters’ poverty, precarious domestic lives, criminal economies, and social divisions embody violence beyond individual acts.
Mexico City’s affluent apartment life, impoverished neighborhoods, criminal dog-fighting world, and streets converge through the accident.
Films like Amores Perros, and why
Babel
interlocking urban storylines, moral ambiguity, and intense social drama across sharply divided characters
21 Grams
nonlinear crime drama, collision-driven structure, and volatile characters navigating guilt and redemption
City of God
brutal urban realism, interconnected lives, and examination of class and personal consequence
Pulp Fiction
neo-noir atmosphere, fractured narrative, and psychologically damaged characters confronting violence and betrayal
Movie Details
- Director
- Alejandro G. Iñárritu
- Release Date
- 2000-06-16
- Runtime
- 154 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (3016)
Cast
- Emilio Echevarría
- Gael García Bernal
- Goya Toledo
- Álvaro Guerrero
- Vanessa Bauche
- Jorge Salinas
- Marco Pérez
- Rodrigo Murray
- Humberto Busto
- Gerardo Campbell
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Amores Perros about?
- Three lives collide in Mexico City, where illicit dog fights, forbidden desire, and old guilt expose the brutal costs of love and survival.
- What is Amores Perros like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Amores Perros as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Amores Perros violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Amores Perros as graphic.
- What did critics think of Amores Perros?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an intense, gritty, formally inventive landmark of the Nuevo Cine Mexicano, praising its interwoven structure and portrait of contemporary Mexico City despite its difficult brutality.
- Which films are like Amores Perros?
- Films with a similar feel include Babel, 21 Grams, City of God, and Pulp Fiction.
- How long is Amores Perros?
- Amores Perros runs 154 minutes.
- Where can I watch Amores Perros?
- In United States, Amores Perros streams on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel.
