*****
Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos is unequivocally one of the most original films from the last couple of years. Who knows if the film will stand the test of time, but one thing is for sure: Dogtooth will leave a lasting impression on whoever lays eyes on it.
The basic premise of the film follows a family of five. The children, if it’s possible to call them that as they look rather grown up, never leave the house and live under false impressions of how the world operates. They’ve been fed all sorts of crazy, yet sometimes comical, ideas. One of the funniest parts in the film involves the son grabbing some gardening scissors and butchering an intruding cat as his sisters watch horrified from inside the house. The parents tell them cats are monsters, and why shouldn’t they be in a make believe world were apparently mom can give birth to both people and dogs. Yes it’s that sort of world. The children are also given new meaning for words. For example in one of the dining scenes the eldest girl asks mom to pass the telephone, and so the mom passes the salt.
Though the film is quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen one film came to mind as I watched: Salo. Of course both films touch on the subject of authority and how those figures in power can abuse that power. In Dogtooth the parents are the equivalent of The Magistrate, The Duke, The President, and The Bishop. Of course in Salo the victims know they are victims while in Dogtooth the children are unaware of the fact that their way of life is a lie.
The world the parents have created for their children isn’t perfect for there are always outside forces acting against it, for example an intruding cat as mentioned before. The household beyond crazy is also sexist. From the very beginning we are introduced to Christina, a young security officer working the gates at the father’s factory. She is hired to satisfy the needs of the son. Only he gets to quench his needs while the other two girls are left in the dark about sexual matters. Christina is a key character in the film as she more than even the cat disrupts the balance of the household. She takes advantage of the eldest girl by giving her gifts in exchange for sexual favors. Christina after being left unsatisfied by the son asks the eldest daughter if she will lick her down there in exchange for a headband that sparkles in the dark. The girl thinks nothing of it and performs fellatio without knowing so. Later the girl blackmails Christina for a couple of movies which turn out to be the iconic films of Rocky and Jaws. The girl then mimics such films in some of the most comical scenes of the film.
Aside from the all too crazy story being told by the film one of the most satisfying aspects of Dogtooth is the unique style in which it is told. The film uses plenty of long takes, but instead of allowing the audience to become familiar with a space the unique and unconventional framing makes the long take abstract. In Dogtooth open framing is consistent. The faces of characters are cut off, and shots instead of showing facial reactions tend to focus on the character’s backs of their heads. This particular style is quite strange and makes for a rather disorienting experience but then again this isn’t our everyday world.
In the end Dogtooth is an experience quite unlike anything. The strangeness of the story will keep you fixated to the screen. The strange mix of comedy and taboo will keep you guessing “should I laugh, or be disgusted”. Dogtooth is nothing short of a masterpiece, but beware this film isn’t for every eye. There are plenty of graphic scenes and endless taboos, so before watching it make sure you are completely comfortable with nudity, and violence against animals plus other things.
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