Rio, Eu Te Amo

Rio, Eu Te Amo (Rio, I Love You) is an anthology film collecting a series of short films by several of the world’s finest filmmakers about stories of love in the city of Rio de Janeiro. With four segments directed by Brazilian filmmakers Carlos Saldanha, Fernando Meirelles, Jose Padilha, and Andrucha Waddington plus six segments helmed by Guillermo Arriaga, Stephan Elliott, Im Sang-soo, Nadine Labaki, Paolo Sorrentino, and John Turturro as well as transitions directed by Vicente Amorim. The film follows the idea of love through many different people in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The result is a lively and enchanting film all set in the wondrous city of Rio de Janeiro.

In Dona Fulana (directed by Andrucha Waddington and written by Waddington and Mauricio Zacharias), an old homeless woman (Fernanda Montenegro) is roaming around the streets of Rio living her life as she is followed by a young man (Eduardo Sterblitch) as he tries to help her. La Fortuna (written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino) follows a couple (Basil Hoffman and Emily Mortimer) vacationing in Rio where the husband is paralyzed with a stroke while dealing with his spoiled wife who refuses to give him the vices in life that could kill him. In A Musa (directed by Fernando Meirelles and written by Antonio Prata and Chico Mattoso), an artist (Vincent Cassel) makes a sand sculpture as he notices a woman (Debora Nascimento) where he tries to win her love by making a sculpture.

Acho que Estou Apaixonado (written and directed by Stephan Elliott), a popular movie star (Ryan Kwanten) is struck by the wonders of the Sugarloaf Mountain where he and his Brazilian assistant (Marcelo Serrado) climb the mountain as the latter tells him about the legend of the mountain where they meet a beautiful spirit (Bebel Gilberto). In Quando nao ha Mais Amor (written and directed by John Turturro), a couple (John Turturro and Vanessa Paradis) breaks up as they cope with what they had and what got lost. Texas (written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga) is about a one-armed boxer (Land Viera) who is given a chance to help his model wife (Laura Neiva) walk again following an accident where he is offered a proposal by a man (Jason Isaacs) that comes with dire consequences.

In O Vampiro do Rio (written and directed by Im Sang-soo), an old vampire (Tonico Pereira meets a prostitute (Roberta Rodrigues) as he hopes to make her part of a small group of people who live in the city as vampires. Pas de Deux (directed by Carlos Saldanha and written by Elena Soarez) revolves around a ballet couple (Rodrigo Santoro and Bruna Linzmeyer) who perform behind a silhouette curtain for a performance as they quietly bicker about some life-changing decisions. Inutil Paisagem (directed by Jose Paldiha and written by Octavio Leonido) follows a man (Wagner Moura) who flies on a glider over Rio as curses the statue of Christ the Redeemer over his own failed relationship with his ex-wife (Cleo Pires). The final segment in O Milagre (directed by Nadine Labaki and written by Labaki, Rodney El Haddad, and Khaled Mouzanar) has an actor (Harvey Keitel) and an actress (Nadine Labaki) meet a boy (Caua Antunes) at a train station who is waiting from a phone call from Jesus Christ where the actor and actress do something to make that call happen.

The film follows a series of stories about love through ten different segments plus transitional scenes involving characters from those stories as well as a cab driver (Michel Melamed) and his former flame (Claudia Abreu) which is written by Fellipe Barbosa and directed by Vicente Amorim. It all plays into the ideas of love in many ways as it’s all set in the city of Rio de Janeiro where it is a character in the film and many of its landmarks add to its beauty. Though the filmmakers in the film don’t really do anything new to explore more of the city including its slums. It’s more about the city and how it inspires love in many different ways through the eyes of its filmmakers and their own takes on love. Filmmakers such as Stephan Elliott, Andrucha Waddington, Fernando Meirelles, and Nadine Labaki tell stories that are very unconventional as it doesn’t exactly follow the formula of love. Instead, they go for something different in their own definition of love as their segments are the ones that really standout as it also uses the locations and situations to really do something wondrous.

Another segment that is very unconventional is from Im Sang-soo whose idea of vampires living around Rio as they wear sunglasses to protect themselves from the sun is actually a very crafty and fun idea. Especially as they would spend the night dancing around as if it was Carnival where it has something a bit dark but also fun. Jose Paldiha’s segment is the most simple of them all but it’s also kind of controversial considering that its protagonist would make a very obscene gesture towards Christ the Redeemer but it does have a beauty for the fact that it’s shot largely from a glider’s perspective. The rest of the film does kind of play by the rules as far as the conventional ideas of love yet all manage to create stories that are at least engaging. Paolo Sorrentino’s segment is mainly comical while the segments by Guillermo Arriaga and John Turturro are the most dramatic. The segment by Carlos Saldanha is definitely the most beautiful in terms of its presentation as it’s more focused on ballet and music with some rumblings of what is happening behind the scenes between the two dancers.

Visually, the film does follow similar visual palettes in its cinematography though they’re able to give each segment something of its own with Saldanha’s shot largely at night and Meirelles’ segment starting off at night and then into the day where he would have the most technically inventive with its editing both visually and in its sound. Much of the film’s music soundtrack features an array of music from Brazil including the samba and bossa nova with much of its contribution from Gilberto Gil providing the film’s theme music. The film’s phenomenal cast all do some fantastic work with Fernanda Montenegro being the big standout in the titular role of Dona Fulana while Harvey Keitel provides a very kind and sensitive performance as an actor who would help a kid in getting a message from Jesus Christ in the O Milagre segment where Keitel would speak Portuguese for part of the film.

Rio, Eu Te Amo is a marvelous anthology film that features some incredible segments from Fernando Meirelles, Im Sang-soo, Carlos Saldanha, and several others. Along with a great cast, amazing music, and gorgeous images, it’s a film that portrays Rio not just as a place of paradise but also something that is wild and intoxicating from the perspective of its locals to the tourists visiting the city. In the end, Rio, Eu Te Amo is a sensational film that explores all the joys and frustrations of love in Rio de Janeiro.

Related: Paris, Je T'aime - New York, I Love You - (Tbilisi, I Love You)

© thevoid99 2017

21 Grams

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, 21 Grams is the story of three people who are each connected by the death of a person as they each cope with loss and faith. The second part of a trilogy that explores death, the film is a multi-layered story that plays into the lives of three people who don’t know each other but become connected by tragedy. Starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melissa Leo, Danny Huston, Clea Duvall, Denis O’Hare, and Eddie Marsan. 21 Grams is an ominous yet exhilarating film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

When a hit-and-run claimed the lives of a man and two little girls, the lives of three different people are affected in drastic ways as the film is about tragedy and its after effects. Much of it involves the life of a critically-ill mathematician who is need of a heart transplant, a grieving widow who also lost her daughters in this tragedy, and a born-again ex-convict whose faith is tested over what had happened. Through Guillermo Arriaga’s complex and multi-layered screenplay, it is told in a non-linear fashion as it plays into not just the tragedy but also the search for meaning as one man tries to find redemption, another man is trying to find answers into why he’s alive, and a woman is caught in the middle over what she had lost. All of which plays into those dealing with mistakes and such as well as several other things where everyone tries to find answers.

For the mathematician Paul Rivers (Sean Penn), he is given a second chance to live but his own marriage to Mary (Charlotte Gainsbourg) starts to fall apart as he becomes obsessed with the identity of the heart he had received which would lead him to Cristina (Naomi Watts). Cristina would learn about Paul and what he has to do with the death of her family as it has the two come together to track the man who was responsible for changing their lives in the ex-convict Jack Jordan (Benicio del Toro). Yet, there are elements into both Cristina and Jack that are interesting as the former was a former drug addict who was saved by her husband as she found a reason to live as that loss drove her back to drugs and alcohol.

In the latter, here is someone who is trying to redeem himself as he devotes himself towards Christianity and swear off drugs and alcohol but his involvement in this tragedy forces him to question his own faith and being as he has no clue what to do as he carries the guilt. All of which forces all three characters to converge into a heavy confrontation about loss as it is, once again, told in a non-linear fashion. There’s moments that play into the drama where all three have to work together as it becomes clear that none of them have anything to gain in this tragedy that their connected by. Even as they all know that there is nowhere else to go as some try to find redemption while others seek an answer.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s direction is very entrancing not just for how dreary he presents the drama but also into the many layers that the story takes. Much of it is presented with a sense of intimacy as Inarritu’s approach to close-ups and medium shots play into the anguish that occurs throughout the film. Even in scenes where Jack eats dinner with his family as he is trying to be a good father but his approach might seem harsh as it relates to his own children. Much of Inarritu’s approach is shot with hand-held cameras but it’s never overly shaky as he maintains something that is very steady and to the point. Notably as Inarritu would create scenes to tease various storylines coming together such as Mary waiting for Paul as he does surgery as she gets a glimpse of Cristina walking out of the hospital with her family.

Since it is a film told in a non-linear narrative, Inarritu is able to create moments in the film where it allows a scene to be told in very different ways. Even as he would shift moments that is supposed to be in the third act back into the first or second act as it plays into the drama. There’s also moments in the film where things do intensify on an emotional level as it relates to Cristina’s grief and Jack’s own guilt such as the scene of him returning home as he reveals to his wife what he had done. Inarritu’s approach to the compositions in how he frames his actors are also intense such as its climax in the third act as it is about who is where in the frame and such. Overall, Inarritu creates a very brooding yet somber film about death, faith, and understanding.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does amazing work with the film‘s grainy and colorful cinematography where it adds to the very grimy sense of despair that looms in the film with its gritty approach to daytime exteriors to its usage of low-key lights and dark shades for the interior scenes whether it‘s day or night. Editor Stephen Mirrone does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts to play into the drama and its offbeat, non-linear narrative. Production designer Brigitte Broch, with set decorator Meg Everist and art director Deborah Riley, does excellent work with the look of the different homes of the three characters to showcase who they are as well as some of the places they go to including the swimming pool center that Cristina goes to.

Costume designer Marlene Stewart does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual for the look of the characters to play into their sense of loss. Sound designers Martin Hernandez and Roland N. Thai do fantastic work with the sound to capture the intensity of the emotions as well as some of the chaotic moments of violence and drama that occurs in the film. The film’s music by Gustavo Santaolalla is superb for its very ominous and eerie score with its emphasis on folk guitars and somber electric guitars to play into the drama while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein brings in a nice soundtrack that features different kinds of music from acts like War, Ozomatli, Ann Sexton, and Dave Matthews.

The casting by Francine Maisler is remarkable as it features notable small roles from Carly Nahon and Claire Pakis as Cristina’s daughters, Paul Calderon as a friend of Jack in Brown who tries to get him work, Denis O’Hare as Paul’s heart surgeon, John Rubenstein as Mary’s gynecologist who tries to help her chances to be pregnant, Clea Duvall as Cristina’s friend Claudia, Danny Huston as Cristina’s husband Michael, and Eddie Marsan as Reverend John who tries to help Jack following the tragedy. Melissa Leo is excellent as Jack’s wife Marianne who tries to cope with what Jack had done as she tries to help him. Charlotte Gainsbourg is superb as Paul’s wife who is eager to start over with him after a separation period as well as taking care of him as she copes with the changes in their life after his surgery.

Benicio del Toro is brilliant as Jack Jordan as a former convict turned born-again Christian who becomes the catalyst for the tragedy that is shaped in the film as he spends much of the film questioning his faith and ponders if he can be redeemed. Naomi Watts is amazing as Cristina Peck as a recovering addict who falls back into her addition following the loss of her family as Watts display the sense of anguish that looms over her as she searches for answers and satisfaction. Finally, there’s Sean Penn in a marvelous performance as Paul River as a mathematician who was dying until he received a new heart as he ponders whose heart does he have as he tries to find answers while coping with his own mortality and existence.

21 Grams is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu that features very strong performances from Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio del Toro. It’s a film that doesn’t explore the severity of death and tragedy but also plays into the world of existence and faith. It’s also a film that doesn’t play by the rules of conventional narrative thanks in part to Guillermo Arriaga’s inventive screenplay. In the end, 21 Grams is a tremendous film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films: Amores Perros - The Hire-Powder Keg - 11' 9' 01 September 11-Mexico - Babel - To Each His Own Cinema - Biutiful - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - The Revenant - The Auteurs #45: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

© thevoid99 2014

Babel

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga from a story by Inarittu and Arriaga, Babel is a hyperlink story set in three different parts of the world as a couple trying to save their marriage in Morocco while their children are being taken to Mexico by their maid so she can attend her son’s wedding as a third story revolves around a young deaf woman in Japan. An exploration into cultural differences, isolation, and death in what is the third part of Inarritu’s trilogy of death, the film is a multi-layered tale with different strands of narrative as these characters are all connected by circumstances in their environment. Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal, Adriana Barraza, Emilio Echevarria, Clifton Collins Jr., Elle Fanning, Nathan Gamble, and Rinko Kikuchi. Babel is a tremendously harrowing yet evocative film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Set in three different places in the part of the world as it relates to the concept of the Tower of Babel where everyone started to speak in different languages where no one could understand each other. The film is about a trio of different stories set in three different places around the world. All of which are connected in a crisscross narrative style as an American couple are in Morocco trying to save their marriage where a major event shakes the couple that involved a couple of young boys are trying to kill jackals where they unknowingly cause something. In Mexico, the American couple’s children are back in San Diego as their maid is eager to go to her son’s wedding only to not find anyone prompting her to take the children to Mexico with her nephew as the trip back would be a treacherous one. The third and final story explored a young deaf woman in Japan who is dealing with the loss of her mother as well as growing awareness of her sexuality.

The film’s screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga definitely takes the concept of the Tower of Babel where it explores the idea of misunderstanding and miscommunication in a post 9/11 world where everyone is almost walking on eggshells. The story about the American couple in Richard and Susan Jones (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, respectively) showcase a couple still dealing with the death of their infant son as they’re on a trip to Morocco with tourists as another story emerges about a couple of young boys in Ahmed (Said Tarchani) and Yussef (Boubker Ait El Chaid) who had just gotten a rifle that their father got for a trade where things went wrong. The story would get dramatic as the collision of this story in Morocco would have involve diplomacy issues where the boys get into trouble. It’s a story that plays into a sense of grief but also in a world where tension between Americans and North Africa is very fragile all because of a simple accident.

The second story set in Mexico that concerns the Jones children and their maid Amelia (Adriana Barazzo) as the script would have the children receive a call from their father just as he is dealing with something that is happening in Morocco as two versions of this conversation are presented but in different moments in the narrative. Amelia’s decision to take Debbie (Elle Fanning) and Mike (Nathan Gamble) to Mexico is a foolish one but it’s much more complicated as it involves her nephew Santiago who would get into trouble on their way back from Mexico. It is in that moment where it plays into the sense of mistrust and misunderstanding as Amelia isn’t a legal resident which adds to the stakes of the drama. The third story in Japan doesn’t seem like it would connect anything with the other two though both stories do appear in the background but it does play into the themes that Arriaga is exploring. It involves Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) as she is troubled by her mother’s passing as well as the lack of attention she gets from her father which has her wanting to explore sexually. Even as two detectives come in asking for her father which plays into the events of the two stories.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s direction is definitely intense in terms of not just the situations that occur but also in the drastic stakes that play into much of the film’s drama. The usage of non-linear and crisscross narrative definitely gives a certain edge to Inarritu’s approach to the filmmaking as he aims for a varied degree of different cinematic styles for each location. Some of which involve hand-held cameras for scenes set in Morocco and Mexico while going for something more straightforward in scenes set in Japan. Yet, Inarritu manages to make each story have a different feel in its varied filmmaking style as he would maintain intimate moments between various characters through some close-ups and medium shots. Even as it plays to some of the realism and dramatic stakes of the film.

The direction also play into the ideas of young people coming-of-age sexually such as Yussef who is curious about a girl who lives in one of his homes as well as Chieko who would reveal her exposed crotch to schoolboys as she isn’t wearing underwear. It plays into a sense of growth for these two people who emerge into adulthood yet face real problems that prove to be just as challenging since they’re still children in some respects. Especially as the dramatic stakes become more intense such as Amelia trying to get Debbie and Mike back to the U.S. through the desert as well as Richard and Susan coping with their own encounter with death as things get intense as well as gripping from a visual sense. Particularly in the third act where all of these different stories do come together to see how all of these people are connected in ways that are unexpected. Overall, Inarritu creates a very somber yet exhilarating film about human disconnection and miscommunication in a world that is often very complicated.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does brilliant work with the film‘s very stylized cinematography with its usage of dark shades to surround some of the images as well as its approach to grainy stock footage as there‘s a mixture of beauty and ugliness in the camera work as it‘s one of the film‘s highlights. Editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrone do amazing work with the editing to create some unique transitions to move from one story to another with elements of jump-cuts and other offbeat rhythmic cuts to play into the action and drama. Production designer Brigitte Broch does excellent work with the set pieces from the houses in San Diego and Mexico to the posh apartment that Chieko lives with her father in Tokyo.

Costume designers Gabriela Diaque, Miwako Kobayashi, and Michael Wilkinson do terrific work with the costumes from the red dress that Amelia wears to the wedding as well as the schoolgirl uniform and stylish clothes that Chieko would wear. Sound designer Martin Hernandez does fantastic work with the sound to convey the layers of sounds in the film‘s different locations including a club scene in Tokyo in how sound is heard and not heard plus some textures that really play into the drama of the film. The film’s music by Gustavo Santaolalla is incredible for its very haunting music that is a mixture of chilling ambient pieces with some stark and plaintive folk-based cuts to play into the drama while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein brings in a diverse soundtrack filled with traditional Mexican/hip-hop music, J-pop, and Middle Eastern music.

The casting by Gigi Akoka and Francine Maisler is great for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Clifton Collins Jr. and Michael Pena as a couple of border patrol officers that Amelia would encounter in different scenes, Abdelkader Bara as a man who owned the rifle as he traded it to Abdullah, Mustapha Rachidi as Yussef and Ahmed’s father Abdullah, Peter Wight as a British tourist, Damian Garcia as Amelia’s son Lucio, Cynthia Montano as Lucio’s bride Patricia, Koji Yakusho as Chieko’s father, Yuko Murata as Chieko’s fellow deaf friend, Shigemitsu Ogi as a dentist Chieko tries to seduce, Nobushige Suematsu as a classmate of Chieko, Kazunori Tozawa as a detective who arrives at Chieko’s apartment, and Satoshi Nikaido as the younger detective whom Chieko tries to connect with. Other noteworthy small roles include Emilio Echevarria in a terrific role as an old flame of Amelia as well as Mohammed Akhzam as the Moroccan tour guide Anwar whom Richard would befriend.

Elle Fanning and Nathan Gamble are excellent in their respective roles ad Debbie and Mike as two kids who find themselves in danger as it relates to a decision Amelia made. Gael Garcia Bernal is fantastic as Amelia’s nephew Santiago who would drive Amelia and the kids to Mexico and back only an act of poor judgment would cause some trouble. Said Tarchani and Boubker Ait El Chaid are superb in their respective roles as Ahmed and Yussef as two boys whose game of target practice would have serious consequences as they try to figure out what to do. Adriana Barazza is brilliant as Amelia as a Mexican maid/nanny for Debbie and Mike who is trying to watch the children as she reluctantly takes them to Mexico so she can attend her son’s wedding as she endures horrific circumstances when she tries to get the children back home.

Rinko Kikuchi is amazing as Chieko as a young deaf woman still grieving over the loss of her mother as she tries to act out sexually and emotionally in the hope to connect with someone. Finally, there’s Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt in remarkable performances in their respective roles as Susan and Richard Jones where Blanchett brings a reserved approach to her performance as a woman grieving over loss and the state of her marriage while Pitt plays a man trying to find ways to save his marriage while dealing with cultural differences due to the situation he is facing.

Babel is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Armed with an incredible cast as well as a intricate and captivating screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga. The film is definitely a very powerful film that showcases the world as a whole and how many in different parts of the world deal with similar situations into isolation, death, and miscommunication. In the end, Babel is a tremendously visceral and thrilling film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films: Amores Perros - The Hire-Powder Keg - 11'9'01-September 11-Mexico - 21 Grams - To Each His Own Cinema-Anna - Biutiful - Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - The Revenant - The Auteurs #45: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

© thevoid99 2014

Amores Perros

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Guillermo Ariagga, Amores Perros is a film that involves three different stories that are connected with one another that each involve dogs. The first involves a young man trying to raise money through dog-fighting in order to win over his sister-in-law while a man deals with the repercussions of leaving his family for a model. The third and final story involve a hitman trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter as it’s set entirely in Mexico City in a world that is driven by chaos and death where people deal with the decisions they make in their life in the first of a three-part thematic trilogy relating to death. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Vanessa Bauche, Alvaro Guerrero, Goya Toledo, and Emilio Echevarria. Amores Perros is a gripping yet evocative film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

The film explores the lives of various people in Mexico City in its exploration of devotion, loyalty, and death. All of which is told in an anthology-film narrative style but with elements that connects one different story to another. The first involves a young man named Octavio (Gael Garcia Bernal) who has a crush on his sister-in-law Susana (Vanessa Bauche), who is embroiled in a terrible marriage to Octavio’s brother Ramiro (Marco Perez), where he tries to make money through illegal dog fights with the help of Ramiro’s Doberman Cofi. The second story involves a model named Valeria (Goya Toledo) who is having an affair with a married man in Daniel (Alvaro Guerrero) who leaves his family to be with Valeria only for the relationship to fall apart in an act of desperation from Valeria’s part. The third and final story involves a hitman named El Chivo (Emilio Echevarria) is trying to reach his estranged daughter as he finds himself in a job that becomes very troubling.

All of these stories are connected in many ways where they’re all connected by dogs and this car accident that would affect everything. Guillermo Arriaga’s screenplay does start off conventionally with Octavio and Susan’s story while there would be little glimpses of the activities of El Chivo as well as Octavio and Jorge watching Valeria on TV. Even as it plays to these intricacies in the script where some of these characters from one story could be in the background while the focus is more in the foreground. Arriaga also goes for a unique approach to narrative where it plays into the effects of these events as each character would encounter moments of death as well as what is important in life. Octavio is motivated by money in order to get Susana out of a terrible marriage yet there are complications when it comes to winning Susana and dealing with the reckless ideas of his brother Ramiro.

The Daniel-Valeria story is one about vanity as Arriaga explores the decisions one makes where Daniel has fallen for this model but her desire to be Mexico’s top model would have serious repercussions as Valeria is affected badly by the accident. Adding to the drama is Valeria’s dog Richie who disappears under a hole on the floor as Daniel’s attempts to save the dog as it plays into the decisions that Daniel has made. The third and final story about El Chivo is most poignant as it plays to his love for dogs and how he’s connected to them while dealing with the family he lost as he tries to meet his estranged daughter. Yet, a mission to kill a businessman would have some moral implications forcing him to make a decision that would be very effective. It plays to not just some of social classes that surround these people but also in their motivations and how it can make them lose sight of what is important.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s direction is truly gripping from the way he makes Mexico City a character in the film to the array of shooting styles he infuses into his compositions. Much of it involves these approach to close-ups and medium shots to play into the action and drama where some of the sequences such as the dog fights have this sense of frenetic energy. Even as Inarritu presents a sense of danger in the violence to showcase how graphic and real these dog fights feel. There’s also some intimate moments where Inarritu makes the drama feel real such as the situation involving Daniel and Valeria where they to save Valeria’s dog. Since this is a multi-layered film with various stories that are connected with one another, Inarritu does create sequences such as the car crash to showcase exactly what is going on and how it would connect all of the stories together.

The sequence would be shown from multiple perspective where there’s major characters in the foreground or another is in the background or vice versa depending on the point of view of the character that is involved. It would play into a major impact in driving the story as Inarritu creates these set-ups to showcase its aftermath. Much of it is very grim and quite punishing into the decisions these people would make. It adds to not just the frenetic tone of the film but also one that is very dramatic in terms of what these characters have to go through as well as the choices they have to live with. Overall, Inarritu crafts a very dark yet intoxicating film about life decisions and the desire to seek a good life in the crazed world that is Mexico City.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does phenomenal work with the film‘s grimy yet stylish cinematography with its use of grainy film stock to play into the sense of realism of the locations as he displays different looks for each segment to play into the contrasting worlds the characters live in. Editors Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Luis Carballar, and Fernando Perez Unda do brilliant work with the editing to play into the frenetic energy of the film with jump-cuts and some stylish fast cuts along with some stylish cutting to play into the car crash sequence. Production designer Brigitte Boch, with set decorator Julieta Alvarez and art director Melo Hinojosa, does amazing work with the set pieces from the grimy and cramped home of Octavio and his family to the more posh apartment home of Valeria and Daniel.

Costume designer Gabriela Diaque does nice work with the costumes from the youthful look of Octavio, the posh clothes of Valeria and Daniel, and the ragged look of El Chivo. Sound designer Martin Hernandez and co-sound editor Roland N. Thai do excellent work with the sound work to convey the atmosphere of each location and how it plays into the drama of the differing segments in the film. The film’s music by Gustavo Santaolalla is incredible for its very haunting score filled with folk-based acoustic guitars and traditional Mexican-style music with contributions from Daniel Hidalgo while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein brings in a soundtrack filled with traditional Mexican music as well as hip-hop and rock to play into the different worlds of the characters.

The casting by Manuel Teil is fantastic as it features some notable small roles from Laura Almela as Daniel’s estranged wife, Gerardo Campbell as the dog fight organizer Mauricio, Humberto Busto as Octavio’s friend Jorge, Ricardo Dalmacci as Valeria’s fake-boyfriend Andres Salgado, Jose Sefami as a corrupt cop who assigns El Chivo different assignments, Rodrigo Murray as a man who hires El Chivo to kill someone, Jorge Salinas as the man El Chivo has to kill, and Lourdes Echevarria as El Chivo’s estranged daughter Maru. Other noteworthy small roles include Marco Perez in a terrific role as Ramiro whose recklessness and abusive treatment of Susana angers Octavio while Gustavo Sanchez Parra is superb as the very menacing Jaroch whom Octavio contends with in the dog fights unaware of how crazy he is.

Vanessa Bauche is excellent as Susana as a young woman who is dealing with the harsh treatment from her husband as well as Octavio’s affections as she becomes conflicted and confused over what to do. Goya Toledo is fantastic as the model Valeria whose charmed life is destroyed by an accident as the obsession to save her dog showcases her vanity. Alvaro Guerrero is amazing as Daniel as Valeria’s lover who deals with the decision he makes as he tries to help her save her dog which prompts him questioning the decisions he made. Emilio Echevarria is brilliant as El Chivo as a troubled hitman who lives a very poor life as he survives to kill as he longs to reunite with his estranged daughter while dealing with a chilling assignment. Finally, there’s Gael Garcia Bernal in a remarkable performance as Octavio as a young man trying to help his sister-in-law while embarking into a money-making plan that would later get him in trouble as he deals with what it would cost him.

Amores Perros is a magnificent film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Featuring an amazing cast, a gripping script from Guillermo Arriaga, and chilling themes on social classes, love, loyalty, and death. It’s a film that truly exemplify some of the dark aspects of humanity as well as the world where some try to do right with the noblest intentions only to succumb to reality. In the end, Amores Perros is a sensational film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films: The Hire-Powder Keg - 11'9'01 September 11-Mexico - 21 Grams - Babel - To Each His Own Cinema-Anna - Biutiful - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance - The Revenant - The Auteurs #45: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

© thevoid99 2014

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/15/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed and starring Tommy Lee Jones, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada tells the story of an aging cowboy who discovers the body of his dead immigrant friend as he captures his killer and take him on a long, horseback journey from Texas to Mexico to bury the body. Written by Guillermo Arriaga, the writer of films like Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel for director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The film is a part western, part-journey that is also inspired by the story of Don Quixote. Also starring Barry Pepper, Julio Cedello, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones, Melissa Leo, Vanessa Bauche, Cecilia Suarez, and Levon Helm. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is an enchanting yet haunting film from Tommy Lee Jones and company.

Herding goats near the Texas-Mexico border is a man named Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cedello) where he shoots at a coyote as the two gunshots are heard by a new border patrolman named Mike Norton (Barry Pepper) who shoots Estrada to death and later buries him. After Estrada's body is found by patrolmen, local sheriff Belmont (Dwight Yoakam) calls Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) to reveal that Estrada is found dead as Perkins asks Belmont who killed Estradas as he would recall the times he met Estrada where they became friends. Particularly when they out with a couple of women including Pete's married girlfriend Rachel (Melissa Leo) who is also having an affair with Belmont. Meanwhile, Mike Norton is dealing with his troubled marriage to Lou Ann (January Jones) who feels bored by her new surroundings despite finding a friend in Rachel where she went on a double-date with Pete and Melquiades some time ago. Mike's new job as a border patrolman has become troubled due his violent attitude towards Mexican where he becomes distant following Estrada's death. 

After Belmont buries Estrada at another place, Rachel reveals to Pete that Mike Norton is the one who killed Estrada. When Belmont refuses Pete's request to arrest Norton due to issues with the border patrol, Pete decides to take matters into his own hands by breaking into the Nortons' home trailer where he ties up Lou Ann and kidnaps Mike. Forcing Mike to dig Estrada's body, Pete decides to make a vow to bury his friend at his birth home of Jiminez, Mexico as he also takes Mike on a treacherous journey on horseback as an act of revenge. While Belmont decides to go after Pete, pete is at the other side of the mountains forcing Belmont to let the border patrol and its Captain Gomez (Mel Rodriguez) to handle things but they're unable to capture Pete and Mike. Back in Texas, Lou Ann makes a decision about her marriage as she reveals to Rachel what she will do. With the journey to Mexico where Pete and Mike later encounter a blind man (Levon Helm), Mike tries to escape where he gets bitten by a rattlesnake as he's later saved by a group of U.S. bound Mexicans led by Lucio (Ignacio Guadalupe) to a small town where Pete also arrives at the town. 

At the town, Mike is treated by a woman named Mariana (Vanessa Bauche) whose nose Mike had broken weeks ago while Pete makes a call to Rachel to come to Mexico and get married. Melancholia eventually seeps into both Pete and Mike as they continue towards their journey to Jiminez as many locals claim the place doesn't exist. Finally meeting a woman (Cecilia Suarez) Pete thinks is Melquiades' wife, Pete wonders if everything his friend had said is true or not as he and Mike try to find the place called Jiminez.

The film is essentially about a man vowing to keep a promise to a friend of his while seeking justice and honor in his death. The character of Pete Perkins is someone who is seeking companionship in his lonely life whether it's through a married woman like Rachel or his friend Melquiades Estrada. When Melquiades is taken away, he tries to seek justice by capturing a man as ignorant as Mike Norton. When Norton becomes a prisoner, he is being punished not just physically but also emotionally and mentally as he goes on his own personal journey about himself.

Director Tommy Lee Jones and writer Guillermo Arriaga create a unique structure to the film to the film. Especially with Arriaga's unique narrative style as he separates the film into four parts. The first half is told through flashbacks and present time back and forth about the first two burials of Melquiades Estrada and Perkins seeking justice. The second half of the film involves the journey and the people back in Texas that concludes with the third and final burial of Melquiades Estrada. The film also involves a melancholic tone as Perkins tries to deal with his own alienation following Estrada's death as he tries to take care of his body as its decaying while being eaten by ants and such. The theme of alienation is very prevalent not just in Perkins but also the supporting characters as they all deal with boredom in this little Texan town with Lou Ann couldn't cope with living in small town Texas despite her friendship with Rachel.

Jones' direction works to convey the tone of fantasy and reality with that ode to Man of La Mancha where Jones' character is Don Quixote and Mike Norton is Sancho Panza. The location in Texas is truly inspiring as Jones uses it to great heights from its mountains to its beautiful scenery of water and desert truly gives the film a worldly feel. Jones' approach to the ending might seem baffling to some audience but again, it's him delving into a kind of realism mixed in with fantasy relating to Perkins. Jones use of compositions, scenery, and themes to convey the film is truly magnificent as it shows that he has a great future in being a director.

Cinematographer Chris Menges does some amazing work in the use of exteriors from the skylines to the dark, moody nighttime scenes to convey the film's melancholic mood. The interiors are also wonderful from the blue-green look of the diner Rachel works at to the Mexican bar mixed in with red lights and blue that Perkins is in to call Rachel. Menges' cinematography is astonishing as is his shots of the Texan mountains and hills. Editor Roberto Silvi does an excellent job with the film's present-day/flashback cutting to give the film a nice, unique pacing that works to convey the film's first half while the second half is more straightforward and intense. Production designer Merideth Boswell and art director Jeff Knipp do an amazing job in creating the look of the homes and places that Perkins and Norton go into, notably a cantina that is filled with wonderful lights and such.

Costume designer Kathy Kiatta does a fantastic job in the look of the costumes from the men's clothing filled with belts, cowboy boots, and cowboy hats to the dresses of the women as well as casual gear that is filled with wonderful colors. Sound recordist Loic Gourbe and mixer Mark Weingarten do a wonderful job in capturing the atmosphere of each location shot as well as the sounds of gunshots and animals in the desert. The film's music by composer Marco Beltrami is amazing in its understated tone with the use of acoustic instruments that has an intensity in the guitars to convey a feel of the western. Beltrami's score also does well in the suspense and melancholia as it's another highlight of the film. The soundtrack mostly consists of country classics by Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., Freddy Fender, Roger Miller, and Dwight Yoakam as well as some Mexican, ranchero music.

The film's cast assembled by Jeanne McCarthy is wonderfully superb with small performances from screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga as a cowboy whom Perkins and Norton run into, Rene Campero as a local Don who Perkins talks to if he knew Melquiades, Celia Suarez as a woman who Perkins thinks is Melquiades' wife, and Vanessa Bauche as Mariana, a woman whom Mike had broken her nose during an immigration chase who would later return the favor. Ignacio Guadalupe is good as Lucio, a Mexican who accompanies Perkins and Norton to town while befriending the old cowboy. Mel Rodriguez is also good as border patrol captain Gomez who tries to control Mike while doing his job to try and capture Perkins. Legendary drummer for the Band, Levon Helm is amazing as a blind man who takes Perkins and Norton for dinner and company as he asks them a favor that is morally wrong that neither are wanting to do.

Melissa Leo is excellent as Rachel, a married woman who has numerous affairs with both sheriff Belmont and Perkins as she tries to keep the young Lou Ann company while being confused in her affairs while January Jones is pretty good as the neglected and lost Lou Ann. Julio Cedello is great in his small role as Melquiades Estrada who is just a simple man that becomes the unwittingly victim of his own death while his body is being carried around in a treacherous journey.

Country singer Dwight Yoakam is excellent as the cantankerous Sheriff Belmont who has a real dislike towards Perkins while trying to maintain his role as sheriff only to find comfort in Rachel. Barry Pepper is brilliant in his role as Mike Norton, an angry, naive, ignorant man who has committed murder only to be dragged and tortured physically and emotionally into a journey as he tries to seek redemption and understanding. Pepper's performance is a real highlight as he endures many physical and mental challenges for his character while being a great foil for Jones.

Then there's Tommy Lee Jones in one of his finest performances yet. In his role as a laconic, melancholic rancher is just amazing to watch as Jones' understated, minimalist performance is shown a wide range of emotion and humor as he plays a man trying to make a promise. Jones also brings a wonderful presence to his character as if he is Don Quixote that makes his performance more worldly and grand as it's a great character for the actor to play.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a truly superb film from Tommy Lee Jones and writer Guillermo Arriaga with a great cast led by Jones and Barry Pepper. With a wonderful supporting cast that includes Melissa Leo, Dwight Yoakam, and the late Levon Helm, it's a very unique and exotic film that plays into the world of the western and its theme of redemption. Fans of Jones' acting will no doubt consider this one of his finest work as well as be surprised by what he's able to do as a filmmaker. So in the end, for anyone that wants a mesmerizing western mixed in with fantasy, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is the film to see.

(C) thevoid99 2012