Critical Reception

How well did it do?

Critical Awards:
- BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language
- Won Grand Prix of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics,
- Nominated for Golden Globe
- Nominated for Academy Award
- Received a Criterion collection Re-release

Roger Ebert gave it 4.5, saying of it:

"It is the work of a born filmmaker, and you can sense Gonzalez Inarritu's passion as he plunges into melodrama, coincidence, sensation and violence."

Cultural Effect:

Dogfighting, portrayed as bloody and viscerally horrible by Inarritu was a very large problem in Mexico. The film contributed heavily to the movement to make dogfighting in Mexico illegal, with Susana's actress, Vanessa Bauche becoming an activist for the cause. The film itself rightfully became a tentpole for this cause.

Fairly recently, in June of 2017, the country successfully passed a law to finally ban dogfighting.