Dogtooth (2009)
"Kynodontas" (original title)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Giorgos Lanthimos

Writers:

Efthymis Filippou, Giorgos Lanthimos

Stars:

Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Aggeliki Papoulia

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Christos Stergioglou	...	Father
Michele Valley	...	Mother
Aggeliki Papoulia	...	Older Daughter
Hristos Passalis	...	Son
Mary Tsoni	...	Younger Daughter
Anna Kalaitzidou	...	Christina
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Krikris	...	Colleague
Sissy Petropoulou	...	Secretary (as Athanasia Petropoulou)
Alexander Voulgaris	...	Dog trainer

Storyline

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 über-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 disturbs the domestic balance.

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Plot Keywords:

factory | clipping one's fingernails | erection | sleepmask | dog | 

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Taglines:

The cat is the most feared animal there is!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site (Greek) Official site [fr]

Country:

Greece

Language:

Greek

Release Date:

11 November 2009 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Dogtooth

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,686 (USA) (25 June 2010)

Gross:

$110,197 (USA) (18 March 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boo Productions, Greek Film Center, Horsefly Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The inspiration for the film came about because of a discussion Giorgos Lanthimos was having with some friends who were about to get married. When Lanthimos expressed doubts about the institution and family itself, he was struck by the idea about what would happen to a man who went to the ultimate extreme of protecting his family.

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Goofs

In the bathroom scene, where the girl is trying to remove her tooth, when the girl is hitting her mouth in front of the mirror with the dumbbell, as she is laughing, blood running in her jaw, after the cut, her jaw is clear without blood.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mother: The new words of the day are: "Sea", "Highway", "Road trip" and "Shotgun".

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Connections

Referenced in O Cão (2010)

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Soundtracks

"S' aparnithika tris"
Performed by Marinella
Composed by Kostas Hatzis
Lyrics by Sotia Tsotou

User Reviews

Not that strange or removed from anyones reality

A whole language of deceit is created by a father to make sure that his family don't venture into the unknown which he fears will corrupt them. This film talks about the myths and lies we are told to maintain status quo and the appearance of stability and normality. It explores the abuse of protecting a child from outside influences to the extreme of denying human instincts and inquisitiveness about their world. Its shows how telling children lies for their own safety makes them fearful of the world and patronises there innate understanding about life. Its amazing because it creates a world with an absurd, fully realised, vocabulary that is completely understood by the members of this family ; its surreal nature forces you to question the oddness and the parameters of your own existence. A life unquestioned and unexplored leads to a stagnant swamp of confusion.