It's a dog's life as film gets to grips with the harsh realities

Amores Perros from Mexico is a non-conventional treat that is both captivating and disturbing. Unlike mainstream movies that present painless fantasy worlds, this film confronts life's harsh realities head-on.

The Spanish title can be translated into 'Love like a Dog' in English. The stories revolve around dog lovers and their canine friends.

The three sub-plots are combined to make an intricately structured narrative. The characters' lives collide in a road accident that kicks off the film. A flashback shows events that lead up to the moment and then it is fast-forward to the consequences.

The first chapter presents a violent gangster story set in a lower-class area of Mexico City. Teenager Otavio (Gael Bernal) loves his abusive brother's wife Susana (Vanessa Bauche). He uses his champion mongrel Cofi to win vicious dog-fights to earn money to run away with her.

One day, Cofi is shot by a person who repeatedly loses to Otavio. Otavio stabs him and drives away with the wounded Cofi before running into model Valeria (Goya Toledo) from the second sub-plot.

Meanwhile, successful magazine editor Daniel (Alvaro Guerrero) has just abandoned his wife and daughters to start a new life with Valeria, but all is not rosy. The couple is further devastated when Valeria's lap dog Richie is trapped underneath their apartment's floorboards where an army of rats lives.

The character of vagabond El Chivo (Emilio Echevarria) who wanders around with a pack of stray dogs is played out in the background during the first two stories. He does not come into focus until he robs Otavio at the crash scene and saves Cofi.