Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu on Amores Perros

Many people have called this film 'the Mexican Pulp Fiction', due to its interlocking stories. How do you respond to that?

AGI: "It's normal for people to compare it to Pulp Fiction, but Quentin Tarantino did not invent that type of narrative. It's been used for a long time, by different directors, and in literature by, say, William Faulkner."

What about the central car-crash, as well as the hit-man who finds redemption? Both events were to be found in Tarantino's film.

AGI: "Some people compare it to an Altman or Kieslowski film. I never thought about it in that way. I think that the statement of the movie is very different to that of a Tarantino movie. It's a story about love and death, and love is the only thing that can redeem a human life. I try to get away from the cynical view of the violence that Tarantino has. For people who live in a very violent city, such as Mexico City, it's a very painful experience. I don't laugh about violence in any form. In this movie, violence has consequences, very painful consequences."

GGB: "Before the film started everyone was cautious to say it was not about dog-fighting. In the end, it's not glamourising dog-fighting. Obviously, the writer is using it as a metaphor for what humans do to each other. I think society has been drawn away from death and the consequences of violence. Tom Cruise can kill 200 people on screen and nobody cares or feels bad. In this film, only three people die but it strikes you. In real life, violence is horrendous."

How did you get involved in the project?

GGB: "I had worked with Alejandro in a commercial two years ago but this is my first feature film."

You have to handle some powerful dogs in the film. Did you train?

GGB: "There was lots of research. We had to train to handle dogs, we had to grab them by the cheeks because they can destroy you. Also, to get into that atmosphere of unconditional violence, I went to train with dogs that used to be in fights and survived. I've always loved dogs, but after this film, I think I love dogs even more - as well as humans!"

Between Octavio's story with the dog-fights, and the story of the tramp-turned-assassin, comes the tale of the model who suffers in the central car crash. It's very different.

AGI: "That section was the most difficult thing in the movie for me. If I didn't handle it well, all the movie would suffer. It's almost a different genre, it's a different tone and it's a different world. Our experiment was to play with different tones and genres in the same picture, but only have one movie. The first and third story mirror each other. Here, there's only two characters, in a claustrophobic apartment. I knew it was very risky."

What are you working on next?

AGI: "A film called 21 Grams. When a body dies, it immediately loses 21 grams. It's the weight of the soul. I like the idea, but it's a tentative title. It's three different stories again."

Amores Perros goes on general release 18 May