Love's a Bitch (2000)

Love’s a Bitch (Amores Perros) is a raw, pulsating triptych set in turn-of-the-millennium Mexico City that follows three very different lives violently bound by a single, catastrophic car crash. The film tracks Octavio, a desperate young man who drags his prize dog into the brutal world of underground dogfighting in hopes of escaping a dead-end life and winning the woman he loves; Valeria and Daniel, a glamorous couple whose new romance is shattered when the accident leaves Valeria badly injured and forces both to confront loyalty, vanity and loss; and El Chivo, a haunted ex-guerrilla turned stray-dog rescuer whose bleak past and present collide at the crash site. Each strand explores love’s compromises and the costs people — and animals — pay for survival. Watching it, you’ll experience relentless emotional intensity and stark, unforgiving realism: abrupt shocks, moments of tenderness undercut by violence, and moral ambiguity that refuses easy answers. The film’s kinetic editing, gritty cinematography and urgent performances create an immersive, sometimes uncomfortable portrait of urban life and social fissures. It’s at once bleak and humane, delivering heartbreak, anger, dark humor and a tough, memorable look at how a single event can irrevocably link strangers across class and conscience. Expect a film that is visceral and uncompromising, built on strong performances and a propulsive narrative structure — emotionally draining at times, but powerful and haunting long after the credits roll.

Actors: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Runtime: 154 min

Genres: Drama, Thriller

83 /100 8.0 /10 8.2 /10