Dogtooth (2009)

There's been plenty said about the madness that comprises modern living, about the societal norms that both train us to toe the line and wraps our psyches into knots simultaneously; if this wasn't a home truth, millions of us wouldn't be currently dosing ourselves with huge quantities of anti-depressants and alcohol at this very second. The root of all this : Fear of the outside world, fear of those who work against us, ultimately fear of ourselves and the very World we inhabit.DOGTOOTH concerns the story of an unknown, affluent family where the father (and a possibly slightly reluctant yet violent mother)have deemed it fit to isolate their three children completely from the outside world - they disorientate them by mis-naming everyday objects, distorting the association of objects from reality (airplanes that are only a few inches long, domestic cats that roam the outside world and kill at a whim) and subject them to random acts of sudden, shocking violence when they question this world view and attempt acts of spontaneity. Hence the children are primitive, childish, unable to grasp the World properly and act in ways the viewer will probably find outlandish. Also, no raison d'etre is given by director Giorgios Lanthimos why the parents would go to such absurd lengths to isolate and retard their children's development in such a way. Other plot points such as the father recruiting a female security guard at his workplace as a sexual partner for his son also seems rather hard to accept (Why would the guard, Caroline, accept? Does she not find the entire setup strange and alarming?). So you feel let out of the "joke" in a way, unless you approach the film as a Rabelaisian tale of the way society makes us behave, a way to look at the absurdity within ourselves.The movie is also shocking at times - real sex, sudden bloody and realistic acts of violence, incest. They make the tale harsh and lurid, which increases it's effectiveness somewhat. You wouldn't want a story like this acted out in a staid Merchant-Ivory World, would you? So I, for one, found it powerful, shocking, and in some ways even entirely possible in some areas of Suburbia where we tend to turn a blind eye on other people's business. So, highly recommended then? As for any extras on the Blu-Ray : abysmal, nothing apart from the obligatory trailer which is a disgrace. At least a commentary / interview with Lanthimos and cast members so we can get to grips with the many puzzles on screen? Perhaps, just as well. Mystique is key here.

Dogtooth mentally conditions its children through meandering tricks. Before Lanthimos made a name for himself with western audiences, with the likes of 'The Lobster' and 'The Favourite', his first few films were pure Arthouse. With such a low budget, he was still able to explore his artistic freedom to conceptualise an original depiction on modern life. This includes good old-fashioned cunnilingus, incestuous shoulder licking and hitting children on the head repeatedly with video tapes. Oh yes, this is true Lanthimos. A husband and wife keep their children secluded in an idyllic house, preventing external influences from the outside world polluting their minds.An often dark psychological drama on mental conditioning and the provocative influences of pop culture. How watching Hollywood films and owning materialistic accessories can taint an individual's mind and make them susceptible to modern normality. Lanthimos has created an alternate reality, with this family adhering to their own rules and conditions. Nouns are often substituted with other nouns to produce a surprising amount of laughs. For example, "I want to lick your keyboard" is interpreted as "I want to lick your *insert word for female sexual organ*". A "zombie" is a small yellow flower, and a "pussy" is a big light. Simple learned techniques that have been altered to insinuate the father's control over his children. And that is the primary theme in this film, control.The father is perceived to be the trainer to his children, and often treats them like canines. A metaphorical scene, where the father asks for his dog back but is questioned if he wants "a friend or an animal?", acts as the conduit for the film's message. It is a visual representation of the "Pavlov's Dog" practice, and the small inclusion of external influences starts to manifest a rebellion within the family. Dancing the 'Flashdance' and recreating scenes from 'Rocky' represent the need for pop culture.But of course, in true Lanthimos style, it's not an easy watch. His static wide shots and visual attentiveness enhances the awkward behaviour of his characters. Their stance, execution of dialogue and physical interactions with each other are hard to watch. The performances from the cast, particularly Stergioglou, were frequently unsettling. However, this also acts as a detriment to the film.Lanthimos, despite his visual uniqueness, often leaves his characters meandering. The lack of narrative cohesion instead makes the story feel like a composition of random scenes, with little character development. Arguably the film acts as an insight to this reclusive family, but at only 97 minutes long it certainly feels a lot longer. Also, despite a few humorous moments, it's not as outrageously hilarious as it was made out to be. The black comedy is subtle, very subtle. Yet it seems Lanthimos just couldn't quite fully utilise the family's autocratic rule to its full visionary and comedic potential. As with all Arthouse productions, Dogtooth is a conversational piece. Ambiguous, open-ended and full of surrealism that will provide meaty discussions amongst peers. Also worth noting that hitting your jaw with a dumbbell is not a suitable way to knock out a tooth...

Like a morning's layer of ice on a warm spring day, we just know something will crack sooner or later.Yorgos Lanthimos's shocking Dogtooth (2009) is set somewhere deep in the Greek countryside. A father keeps his adult family locked up at home, thinking he's saving them from the dangerous world by telling all kinds of lies so that they will never leave the property boundary.This is such an interesting script by Efthymis Filippou and the director. It is frightening, not in the quiet, quiet, bang sense, but in the motivations of the father (Christos Stergioglou), as he believes he is doing the right thing, and on the basic of levels, this is what ever parent tries to do: protect their children. What makes this scary is that the children are adults, with the unquestioning behaviour of children. Adding to the fear, we wonder why the father has pushed this beyond protection and now manipulates his children. An example would be with words. At dinner one of the daughters asks her mother (Michele Valley) to pass the phone, when she means salt. It's at these glimpses into the strange life of the family that the fingers of dread creep up our backs. As the plot trickles along, these oddities increase. It isn't heavily plotted, the script focuses on narrative; how the story is told is the important factor here. It flips back and forth from the institutionalised world of the country house where the children lick each other, to the father's job as a manager in a factory.Watching this reminded me of Ian McEwan's wonderfully dark The Cement Garden (1978).Dogtooth is so original that it makes it hard to watch anything hackneyed again. A magnificent film.

tiene una metafora muy buena, no es una pelicula excelente pero tampoco mala, la recomiendo, actuaciones decentes y una pieza muy buena para mi coleccion

Parfait

Grave ausencia del subtitulado en español que impide conocer el singular lenguaje utilizado por los actores.

Great film.

The new (2019) special edition from Kino includes special features such as a new audio commentary with stars Papoulia and Passalis; a new conversation between Lanthimos and critic Kent Jones (courtesy of Film at Lincoln Center); archival interview with Lanthimos; deleted scenes; and trailers (one for the film, and the other for Alps). It also includes a reversible cover featuring the original poster.If there ever there was a film that is best experienced without knowing a single detail, this unforgettable oddity from Greece is the one - this was Oscar nominated for best foreign in 2009.A study of human conditioning in extremis, Dogtooth is set almost entirely within the confines of a stately home just outside the city limits. There, walled off by impressive shrubbery and a single gate, live three unnamed siblings and their parents. Though the brother (Christos Passalis) and his two sisters (Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni) are all within a stone’s throw of 20, there’s a childlike innocence to them, and it’s no wonder, for not once in their lives have they ever set foot beyond their property line.With the exception of a telephone hidden away within a cupboard in the parents' bedroom, there’s no access to the outside world. The kids seem fairly well-educated, though they’ve inexplicably been taught some odd vocabulary substitutions by mum and dad, such as ‘keyboard’ for female genitalia, or ‘zombie’ for a small yellow flower found in the garden. They’ve also grown up with a mythology that the only safe way to venture outside of the grounds is by car, for lurking beyond the walls is a vicious monster, known as a cat, that kills instantaneously. And one is only old enough to leave the house when either of their canines have fallen out and grown back. In other words, never.The father (who manages a factory of some sort) is the sole family member to leave the house on a regular basis, and the only other person the children have ever seen is Christina (Anna Kalaitzidou), a security guard from the factory who is brought to the house (blindfolded, naturally) on occasion to have sex with the son.The youngsters spend their days creating silly competitive games, such as inhaling anesthesia to see who will wake up first, or engaging in various obedience exercises orchestrated by their parents. Their reality is solely a product of their parent’s imagination, which includes the belief that Frank Sinatra is their grandfather and that the toy airplanes they find in their garden are those that they see flying overhead.Lathimos gives us no clue as to why the parents have raised their children under these conditions. There’s no indication that they are part of some religious cult, nor do they seem particularly insane. Is it merely a case of over-protectionism stemming from paranoia, or a radical example of isolationism? That we don’t know their motivation leaves us unsure how to respond to the film, for nearly every scene can be read as either darkly comical or disturbingly tragic. The framing is equally disconcerting, with heads often disappearing off the top of the screen, cut-off just as they are from society. Given the siblings’ circumstances, it’s unsurprising that there are hints of incest, but even beyond the film’s (very) explicit sequences there’s a sexually unsettling tone throughout.The appearance of two well-known Hollywood blockbusters from the Eighties will be the catalyst for the events in the final act, but Lanthimos isn’t going to let us off easily. The film’s inconclusive ending is perfectly suited to the world it so wonderfully creates.