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Product Description
Winner of Un Certain regard at Cannes A mother and father, desperate to shelter their three children from the outside world, create a self styled utopia inside the walls of their secluded compound. The three children have never ventured outside and spend their days being educated and entertained within the limits of a strict and suppressive system concocted by their father. So far removed are they from the real world, they have their own vocabulary and believe cats to be dangerous wild man eating predators, aeroplanes flying overhead to be toys and small yellow flowers to be zombies. When the father invites a trusted outsider into their home to service his son's sexual urges, the domestic balance is disturbed and the protective bubble surrounding their lives soon implodes.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: Greek ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Three teenagers are confined to an isolated country estate that could very well be on another planet. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes that teach them a whole new vocabulary. Any word that comes from beyond their family abode is instantly assigned a new meaning. Hence 'the sea' refers to a large armchair and 'zombies' are little yellow flowers. Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the uber-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission. The father is the only family member who can leave the manicured lawns of their self-inflicted exile, earning their keep by managing a nearby factory, while the only outsider allowed on the premises is his colleague Christina, who is paid to relieve the son of his male urges. Tired of these dutiful acts of carnality, Christina enlists the elder daughter for some girl-on-girl action, carelessly disturbing the domestic balance. Soon enough, sex has spread throughout the household like fire. Next stop: rebellion. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Cannes Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival, ...Dogtooth . ( Kynodontas ) ( Dog Tooth )
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Certainly the biggest surprise of the year for me. Directed by Giorgos Lanthimos, this Greek film centres around a family home. A wealthy father lives with his wife, son and two daughters in a modern secluded house, all seems quite normal. But nobody is allowed out of the home apart from the father, the wife doesn't want to leave the house. The children, all in their early 20's, seem to have been imprisoned since birth. Their schooling is in-house, relying on home-made tapes and books, and have become infantalised. Unknown words are given alternative names by their parents, deliberately, so for example `zombies' are yellow flowers, leading to many unfortunate incidents! The parents use a fictional brother who has been banished from the house as the means to imprison the three children. No outsider is allowed into the house, apart from a woman, Christina, who works in the factory of the father. She is paid by the father to have sex with the son. Bored with the son, she befriends one of the daughters. Their friendship blossoms, the daughter's curiosity leading to rebellion and all manner of carnage awaits.
Many people seem to be put off by the dark tone of this movie, but the the deadpan black comedy electrifies this film. Dogtooth has echoes of Michael Haneke's direction and style of acting, and some of David Lynch's earlier movies such as `Blue Velvet' in its depiction of the sinisterly wierd in the familar and normal. There are some wonderful moments, including an awkwardly brilliant dance sequence by one of the daughters. The misinformation supplied by the parents creates some brilliant moments of surreal comedy and violence, not least the introduction of a cat.
The film has many unnanswered questions, not least why the parents have raised their children in such a calculated way. Disturbingly, the mother, though not initially, is as complicit as the father. The director is to be applauded for being able to maintain some genuinely disturbing scenes with some absurdly innocent and playful black humour, which Todd Solondz's Happiness managed to capture brilliantly. This film still seems to have slipped under the radar of many people, its without question the find of this year for me.
Many people seem to be put off by the dark tone of this movie, but the the deadpan black comedy electrifies this film. Dogtooth has echoes of Michael Haneke's direction and style of acting, and some of David Lynch's earlier movies such as `Blue Velvet' in its depiction of the sinisterly wierd in the familar and normal. There are some wonderful moments, including an awkwardly brilliant dance sequence by one of the daughters. The misinformation supplied by the parents creates some brilliant moments of surreal comedy and violence, not least the introduction of a cat.
The film has many unnanswered questions, not least why the parents have raised their children in such a calculated way. Disturbingly, the mother, though not initially, is as complicit as the father. The director is to be applauded for being able to maintain some genuinely disturbing scenes with some absurdly innocent and playful black humour, which Todd Solondz's Happiness managed to capture brilliantly. This film still seems to have slipped under the radar of many people, its without question the find of this year for me.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Dysfunctional families,Greek-style,or a film-metaphor for the ties by which parents hold their children in place.The stronger the ties the more painful the break.This creepy domestic drama films perversity as if it was normality. Consisting of Father,Mother,Daughter(younger),Daughter(older) and Son.Trained by their parents as if they were dogs,they can only leave when they lose their dogteeth.The parents subject the children to arbitrary exercises,competitions and behavioural codes to reinforce the bubble in which they live,sealed as it is off from external reality. Denied the basics of socialisation and education,impounded since birth within the fences of their property,the grown-up children remain infantilised by the indoctrination of words referring to external phenomena(sea,motorway,zombie) being made to signify familiar domestic objects. Father purchases household provision(removing any labels)and checks on the progress of his new dog at obedienceschool. The children believe that planes flying overhead are just toys,that the fish for their supper come from the swimming pool,that their new pet dog will be born from Mother's belly,that Frank Sinatra's'Fly Me To The Moon' is the voice of their late grandfather,and that just stepping outside the perimeter fence can lead to danger and death.They have barking exercises in the garden on all fours.
Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the über-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission.Father is the only family member who can leave the manicured lawns of their self-inflicted exile, earning their keep by managing a nearby factory, while the only outsider allowed on the premises is his colleague Christina, who is paid to relieve the son of his male urges. Tired of these dutiful acts of carnality, Christina disturbs the domestic balance.Because this is a closed,inward-looking system,the night's entertainment consists of home videos.After father discovers Christina has been lending elder daughter videotaped movies,he beats the pair of them viciously.From then on the Son's sexual needs are serviced in-house.Deflowered Older Sister begins speaking film quotes,adopting the name `Bruce' for herself in an attempt to gain identity. Hammering out her dogteeth she hides herself in the boot ofFather's car.No backstory is given,we never get the complete picture.The cinematography is like a blank,parts of peoples bodies,heads remain outside the frame.Shot in a detached manner,shocking absurdities add to the horror and dark humour.This fable brings to mind the Fritzl case,cults,totalitarian governments,the time of the Greek Colonels, tennis-coaching dads.
Having invented a brother whom they claim to have ostracized for his disobedience, the über-controlling parents terrorize their offspring into submission.Father is the only family member who can leave the manicured lawns of their self-inflicted exile, earning their keep by managing a nearby factory, while the only outsider allowed on the premises is his colleague Christina, who is paid to relieve the son of his male urges. Tired of these dutiful acts of carnality, Christina disturbs the domestic balance.Because this is a closed,inward-looking system,the night's entertainment consists of home videos.After father discovers Christina has been lending elder daughter videotaped movies,he beats the pair of them viciously.From then on the Son's sexual needs are serviced in-house.Deflowered Older Sister begins speaking film quotes,adopting the name `Bruce' for herself in an attempt to gain identity. Hammering out her dogteeth she hides herself in the boot ofFather's car.No backstory is given,we never get the complete picture.The cinematography is like a blank,parts of peoples bodies,heads remain outside the frame.Shot in a detached manner,shocking absurdities add to the horror and dark humour.This fable brings to mind the Fritzl case,cults,totalitarian governments,the time of the Greek Colonels, tennis-coaching dads.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As with many films, it's best to know as little about this film as possible before you see it - I knew nothing about this, and it was far more chilling because of it. This is mainly because of the incredibly slow way the film unravels; the main plot point isn't fully revealed until about a third of the way through, and, if you are teased with mystery, the meandering pace is excruciatingly nerve-wracking - not excruciatingly dull. So I shall say little about the plot, but simply say that it is a terrifying, satirical look at family relationships, that breaks many film taboos and really challenges the viewer. The performances are fantastic, the camerawork captures the atmosphere perfectly and simply, and there are enough brutal and shocking moments to stop the film from shuddering entirely to a hault - just don't expect to feel to cheerful afterwards, because this is a film that will haunt you for days.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Strange modern Greek tale
A story which is disturbing and strange. A modern man brings up his family away and shielded from the world. His children have no concept of the world today. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Gregory Baser
beautifully bizarre
This movie definately deserves more mainstream exposure since it really is a tender, crazy and bleak portrayal of family life - one which most viewers will understand on some level... Read more
Published 1 month ago by thetruthshallsetyefree
With some more intelligent effort by the director this film could have...
One of those European arthouse films that has a very interesting idea. However, the director falls in love with the idea a little bit too much. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jackal
"A zombie is a small yellow flower"
Imagine you live in a world where cats are the most dangerous creature there is - you know so because you saw your father covered in blood as he came home one day to tell you that... Read more
Published 3 months ago by GeekZilla
Brillant, dark and disconcertingly funny
the sub title of this film resume very well this provocative film showing a self containing family under the rule of the father. The mother protected her son and two daughters. Read more
Published 3 months ago by JEROME
Terrible quality
Opened the dvd today for the first time.Could not watch it as it jumped on several parts. It was supposed to be a new dvd, this is unacceptable.
Published 3 months ago by Tori
Modern Masterpiece, or incoherent claptrap?
Ambiguous, allegorical - yes, those dictionary terms that only mean that I don't know, you don't and we don't know. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tim Kidner
I WANT ANSWERS DAMMIT!!!
Why do film makers think it's OK to make a completely bizarre film, that has no resolve, leaves you with a bunch of unanswered questions and (to use a Carl Pilkington quote)... Read more
Published 5 months ago by The Truth
Perhaps I'm missing something...
I hate it when I read a review of a movie I love and some knob says that it's nothing but rubbish.
The roles are perhaps reversed here. Read more
The roles are perhaps reversed here. Read more
Published 13 months ago by K. Hendrikse
Brilliant film.
Artstically this film is beautiful. The story is told through various types of media and is intricate and detailed. A wonderfull piece of cinema.
Published 15 months ago by Alex Wilson
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