focoproject.com

• Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
• Genre: Drama/Thriller
• Year: 2000

No, I did not just see this movie for the first time. In fact I saw it as soon as it made its way to the United States which at the time took a while, given that the Mexican Film Industry was really just beginning this reinsurgency under which it currently finds itself. Films like Sexo Pudor y Lagrimas and this one really started putting them on the map.

This movie, without a doubt is one of my favorite all time independent movies. Shot on a low budget (around 2 mill), the small technical details such as certain overblown lighting situations when dealing with the inside and outside of vehicles can be easily overlooked in favor of a plot that is compelling and gripping.

The title of the name translates loosely to “Love’s a Bitch” and the three stories that make up the bulk of this film all center around people and their dogs and the relationships not only between the pets and their masters but between the people themselves. Using a car accident as a pivotal point, the three stories weave in and out of each other in a way that is entirely satisfying by the time you see that last shot.

Loaded with incredible no name acting (this was Gael Garcia Bernal’s first major role so at the time he was a no name, now a days he is a very familiar face) each of the characters in this movie shines regardless of air time. I found myself hard pressed to find an actor that had not dutifully carried out their role to the best of their ability. And without a doubt this was the film that served as a platform to laungh Gael’s career, who has now done, Motorcycle Diaries, Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Science of Sleep as well as a movie he recently directed which should be released soon.

A must watch…actually, a must own movie! Though be aware that there are some violent sequences to be watchful for.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Notes: Violence, language, nudity, sexuality. Spanish (with some heavy slang) with English subtitles.
Quote: Susana: [to Octavio] You and your plans. You know what my grandmother used to say? If you want to make God laugh… tell Him your plans.