Dogtooth, 2009

Dogtooth is a bizarre amplification of conditioning humans from birth. A Greek film, which deals with the subjects of confinement, recluse, incest among other rather fragmentary states of mind.

A complex Greek offing, like this lovely film, directed with poetry by Yorgos Lanthimos, simply must; for the sake of it’s Golden Age (60’s), travel far and wide and acquire inspiration from the likes of Michalis Kakogiannis (1962 -2011) and find its roots in texts of the Greek tragedian Euripides.

On the other hand the film also has a bent towards the neorealism of Modern Greek Cinema. This film’s narrative blends in the classic social context and use of uncommon or fresh actors; in order to remove any pretence that a known actor may carry. Perhaps also to walk that extra mile, naked without charging double.

Dogtooth is an extremely incongruous film and a directorial achievement. Hilarious at times yet quite unsettling at others. The contemporary pace of the film is interjected with visuals that come at you with the force of a heavyweight’s power jabs.

The language, did I mention, is Greek?

Although calm on the surface, the underlying discomfort from the get-go gets to you after a while. The movie pulls you in within it’s three dimensional characters and you become a Dogtooth.

Things start to look different, nothing seems right. The blatant Freudian punctuation , the mystery shrouded in psychosis, the back- story; everything happens slowly for your mind to grasp the details, editing, the intentional recording of out of frame heads. All of it takes you deep inside a hole and leave you there, expecting to find your way out on your own.

A dark, unexpectedly convoluted and a Gordian film whose violent scenes are either executed very well or the actors did get a real whack or two or three. In the end it sticks to you like caked blood, specially when a VHS has been used in the most preposterous way ever

A Kino International Release

I am still pondering the end, without rational answers. However sometimes reason goes out the window and Dogtooth settles in with ease or unease; not the viewer’s call, no ma’am.