Dogtooth: 2009

Dogtooth is a pretty tough film for me to review. This Greek drama -- also billed as a black comedy but I didn't laugh once -- is extremely admirable in what (I think) it's trying to do but is just not the type of film that's going to appeal to a lot of people (myself included).

The film is a portrait of a very messed up family. The father (none of the family members are given names) and mother raise their two daughters and one son (all of which are in their late teens or early twenties) in a fenced off area and large house. The children have never been allowed outside the property walls and are told stories of another son who left the walls before he was ready and has since been basically disowned. The children are told they will be allowed outside the walls as soon as they lose a "dogtooth." The father is the only member of the family who can freely leave the compound and does so to go a factory he ownes. The only outside person allowed in is a female security guard at the father's factory who is brought in to fulfill the son's sexual needs.

There are a lot of really good things about Dogtooth (it is nominated for a Best Foreign Film Award at this years Oscars after all). Director Yorgos Lanthimos films the movie in a pseudo documentary style that is visually hazy, suggesting the whole thing may just be a nightmarish fantasy. The actors all read their lines in a very staccato and unnatural style that is obviously intentional and adds to the dreamlike state of the film. The movie also poses some interesting questions about what kind of effect extreme overprotection of children will have on them.

The biggest thing that prevents me from embracing Dogtooth is that it's a very cold film. I'm sure it's all intentional but there are no characters to cheer for or identify with and it felt like I was watching something a student would see in an advanced psychology class. People should also be warned that the movie is not shy about depicting sex fairly graphically and without a hint of romance. Violence occurs suddenly and is in some cases brutal. In short, it's not a film for the faint of heart or for someone looking solely for entertainment value.

Dogtooth is a film I greatly appreciated -- it succeeds in it's intentions and the technical aspects are fantastic -- but I didn't really like it either. It's worth seeing since it does pose some interesting dilemmas about the over protection of children (home schooling maybe?) but it is not a film that is easy to embrace.

Rating: 3.5/5