The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is launching Sueño Perro, a film installation by director Alejandro G. Iñárritu that reimagines his 2000 debut Amores Perros. The exhibit marks the film's 25th anniversary and features unused footage from its production. It opens to the public on Sunday and runs through July 26.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu's multisensory installation, Sueño Perro: A Film Installation, transforms discarded footage from his gritty 2000 film Amores Perros into an immersive experience at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Located on Level 1 of the BCAM building, the exhibit highlights the 25th anniversary of Amores Perros, which weaves three interlocking stories of hope, betrayal, and revenge in Mexico City's underbelly.
The installation draws from a million feet of unused 35mm celluloid, approximately 300 kilometers in length, that had been stored for 25 years. Iñárritu described unearthing this material as "like the placenta," likening it to the frozen life-source of the film now revived in a new form. Visitors enter a dimly lit industrial space that evolves into a surreal, dreamlike landscape, with six screens displaying fragmented footage simultaneously. This setup, inspired by Latin American authors like Julio Cortázar, mirrors how memories surface as snippets and emotions rather than linear narratives. Iñárritu noted, "Everything attacks you at the same time."
Adapted for LACMA's compact space—unlike larger versions in Milan and Mexico—the exhibit creates a dense, "paranoiac version" using vintage 35mm projectors from a Regal cinema in Los Angeles. Water-based smoke enhances the projectors' beams, forming light sculptures. A key highlight recreates the film's central car crash, originally filmed in a single dangerous take with nine cameras.
Accompanying the exhibit is a 336-page bilingual book, Amores Perros, published by MACK. It includes storyboards by Fernando Llanos, handwritten notes, unseen on-set photos, and contributions from filmmakers Denis Villeneuve and Walter Salles. Iñárritu expanded his introduction from three to 20 pages after archival discoveries.
The opening on Sunday features a screening of Amores Perros—whose original Spanish title Iñárritu insisted on worldwide, rejecting the U.S. distributor's "Love’s a Bitch"—followed by a conversation with LACMA CEO Michael Govan at the Academy Museum’s David Geffen Theater. Reflecting on the milestone, Iñárritu recalled seeing Bernardo Bertolucci present the 25th-anniversary screening of 1900 at Cannes when he was 36. Meanwhile, he prepares for his next film, Digger starring Tom Cruise, set for theatrical release on October 2, 2026.
