Personal Response
The art direction of this movie blew me away in a way I can’t even fully explain. Iñárritu managed to express the idea that “dogs look like their owners,” but on a much deeper level, beyond physical resemblance. The characters go through extremely difficult situations, and the dogs do not show up as the unconditional, loyal companions we see in most films. Instead, they act as extensions of their owners’ lives, absorbing the ripple effects of their bad decisions. It’s like the dogs are living parallel emotional experiences; they suffer, awaken, or transform in ways that mirror their humans. In other moments, the dogs become catalysts that push the characters toward realization or change. I don’t even know how to articulate this fully, it was just incredibly clever how Iñárritu incorporated them into the storytelling.
Even the title plays into this. Amores Perros doesn’t have a clean English translation. Literally it means “dog loves,” but culturally it means “tough loves” or “fucked-up loves.” The word perros definitely means “dogs,” but the meaning goes deeper, it’s metaphorical, layered. Even from the title, you realize how brilliantly constructed this movie is.
The character that stood out the most to me was El Chivo. He glues the entire story together and has the strongest character development. I believe he is the most awakened person in the film. He forgives his new dog, chooses to do something good for once, and maybe even tries to rebuild his life. After everything he went through, maybe karma, maybe fate, he finally chooses kindness. The world will be better with this new version of him in it.
I also feel very fortunate that I watched the movie in my native language. Doing so reminded me how much we lose when we don’t understand a film in its original language. A translation helps you follow the story, but it doesn’t carry the exact intention, emotional weight, or nuance the screenwriter crafted. Writers win awards for a reason, the dialogue is an essential part of the art, and not experiencing the real version can really take away from the film.
And as I’m saying this, I’m realizing why some movies were harder for me to understand or enjoy, like The Unforgiven or Do the Right Thing. Watching without subtitles meant I couldn’t understand a lot of what they were saying, and that does take something away. Whether it’s a bad translation or simply not catching every line from the heart, it changes the experience. Understanding exactly what the screenwriter intended, in their own words, is such a big part of a movie.